Prosecutors charge Seattle man in 1979 slaying of Lynnwood woman

EVERETT — Susan Schwarz likely was shot to death because she helped a friend.

A high school friend had confided in Schwarz that she was being abused by her husband. Schwarz helped the woman move into a shelter until she could leave the state with the couple’s young son.

Prosecutors allege that Gregory Duwayne Johnson resented Schwarz and blamed her for his marital problems. He called her a meddler. Prosecutors allege several months after his wife left him, Johnson slipped into Schwarz’s home while she was showering, tied her up and killed her.

Johnson was charged Thursday with murder, three decades after Schwarz was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds to the head.

Snohomish County cold case detectives arrested Johnson, 57, last month outside his Seattle apartment. They were contacted by a prison inmate who saw Schwarz’s picture on the queen of hearts card in the county’s first-ever deck of cold case playing cards. The man told investigators that Johnson admitted to him that he killed Schwarz on Oct. 22, 1979, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Lisa Paul wrote in court papers.

Detectives also tracked down a woman who admitted that she was in the house when Schwarz, 24, was shot. The woman, who was 18 at the time of the killing, was dating Johnson. She told detectives he beat her and she had been afraid to leave him.

She admitted that she often acted as the lookout when Johnson broke into homes. On the day that Schwarz was killed, Johnson told her they were going to the house of a person who owed him money.

The woman told detectives that Johnson grabbed a woman out of the shower and pistol whipped her. He wrestled the woman to the ground and tied her hands behind her back, court papers said. She begged for her life.

The witness said Johnson shot Schwarz in the head. That’s when he noticed the teen standing there. He fired a second shot and then asked the teen to check to see if the woman had a pulse. She said Johnson ordered her back to the car so he could clean up.

The witness, who is not named in charging documents, is not being treated as a suspect. She remains fearful of Johnson, who threatened to harm her and her family if she ever went to police, court papers said.

Johnson has been a suspect in the case since the beginning.

He was questioned about a week after the killing. He allegedly told investigators that he’d been fishing with his brother in Edmonds the day of the shooting. Detectives questioned him again in 1986 while he was serving time for a robbery.

That’s when he reportedly told police he dropped his brother and two other men outside a house on the day Schwarz was killed. He implicated his brother in the slaying.

Cold case detectives spoke with Johnson after interviewing the eyewitness. He initially denied knowing anything about the homicide. After detectives reminded him of what he’d told police in 1986, Johnson reiterated the story he gave back then.

Johnson has prior convictions for burglary and drugs.

This is the first charge filed in a cold case since detectives created the playing cards.

Earlier this month, sheriff’s detectives identified a suspect in the 1995 homicide of Patti Berry and the disappearance of Tracey Brazzel. They say forensic evidence links convicted sex offender Danny Giles to both cases. Giles currently is serving time in prison for an unrelated case. No charges have been filed against him.

Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

More in Local News

Cars move across Edgewater Bridge toward Everett on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023, in Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edgewater Bridge redo linking Everett, Mukilteo delayed until mid-2024

The project, now with an estimated cost of $27 million, will detour West Mukilteo Boulevard foot and car traffic for a year.

Lynn Deeken, the Dean of Arts, Learning Resources & Pathways at EvCC, addresses a large gathering during the ribbon cutting ceremony of the new Cascade Learning Center on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, at Everett Community College in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
New EvCC learning resource center opens to students, public

Planners of the Everett Community College building hope it will encourage students to use on-campus tutoring resources.

Everett Police Chief Dan Templeman announces his retirement after 31 years of service at the Everett City Council meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett police chief to retire at the end of October

Chief Dan Templeman announced his retirement at Wednesday’s City Council meeting. He has been chief for nine years.

Boeing employees watch the KC-46 Pegasus delivery event  from the air stairs at Boeing on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019 in Everett, Wa. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)
Boeing’s iconic Everett factory tour to resume in October

After a three-year hiatus, tours of the Boeing Company’s enormous jet assembly plant are back at Paine Field.

A memorial for a 15-year-old shot and killed last week is set up at a bus stop along Harrison Road on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Teen boy identified in fatal shooting at Everett bus stop

Bryan Tamayo-Franco, 15, was shot at a Hardeson Road bus stop earlier this month. Police arrested two suspects.

Car crashes into Everett apartment, displacing residents

No one was injured in the crash late Friday, according to Everett police.

Mike Bredstrand, who is trying to get back his job with Lake Stevens Public Works, stands in front of the department’s building on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, in Lake Stevens, Washington. Bredstrand believes his firing in July was an unwarranted act of revenge by the city. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Lake Stevens worker was fired after getting court order against boss

The city has reportedly spent nearly $60,000 on attorney and arbitration fees related to Mike Bredstrand, who wants his job back.

Chap Grubb, founder and CEO of second-hand outdoor gear store Rerouted, stands inside his new storefront on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Gold Bar, Washington. Rerouted began as an entirely online shop that connected buyers and sellers of used gear.  (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Used outdoor gear shop Rerouted finds a niche in Gold Bar

Seeking to keep good outdoor gear out of landfills, an online reselling business has put down roots in Gold Bar.

Naval Station Everett. (Chuck Taylor / Herald file)
Everett man sentenced to 6 years for cyberstalking ex-wife

Christopher Crawford, 42, was found guilty of sending intimate photos of his ex-wife to adult websites and to colleagues in the Navy.

Most Read