Naman Shrestha
Angela Russo was a 25-year-old woman leading a content life with her mother in Maricopa, Arizona, when she met her untimely demise while looking for love. The tragedy sent shockwaves across the entire community, with the authorities launching an extensive investigation. Her cell phone provided a break in the case that ultimately led the police to the deceptive perpetrator. Oxygen’s ‘Catfish Murders: Plenty of Lies’ provides a detailed account of the entire case and the ensuing investigation through insightful interviews with Angela’s family and friends, as well as the officials who helped solve it.
Angela Russo’s Remains Were Found Buried Miles Away From Her Family Home
Around 1991, Diana and Jason Schalow welcomed their beloved daughter, Angela Russo, into the world. Growing up, she became obsessed with rom-coms and Disney movies, with Ariel from ‘The Little Mermaid’ being her favorite princess. She worked as a nurse and resided at her mother’s home in Maricopa, Arizona. Described as a “helpless romantic” by her mother, Angela had a date set up on April 19 in West Phoenix, after meeting a man on a dating website. After leaving the house for the scheduled date in her sedan, she never returned.
Worried about her, Diana reported 25-year-old Angela missing to the authorities, who launched an extensive search. About a month later, in May 2016, the search led the authorities to a shallow grave in the desert in Tonopah, Arizona, several miles west of Phoenix. Buried in the grave, they discovered Angela’s remains, with her burned-out vehicle parked nearby. Due to her badly decomposed remains, the cause of her death couldn’t be determined by the medical examiner.
Angela Russo’s Killer Maintained Innocence Despite Overwhelming Blood Evidence
The police received valuable information from Angela Russo’s mother, Diana Schalow, who told them that she had recently met a man named LaShawn Johnson on a dating website called Plenty of Fish. She claimed that LaShawn used a fake name to lure Angela to meet him at his Phoenix apartment on April 19, 2016, the day she went missing. As part of the investigation, the detectives dug deep into Angela’s cell phone records, which led them to the suspect’s apartment. It also revealed that she had exchanged multiple text messages with LaShawn. Upon knocking on his door, the investigators met with his live-in girlfriend, Claudia, who claimed that he called her on the evening of April 19, 2016. She alleged that she picked him up from a convenience store in Tonopah.
Moreover, according to her, a few weeks later he took her on a hike in the desert area, where she noticed a burned-out car. Suspecting that it might be Angela’s missing car, the police asked the girlfriend to lead them to that location. That’s where they found the car and her buried remains. The detectives also conducted a thorough search of LaShawn’s apartment and found traces of blood in different spots. They also noticed his handprint in Angela’s blood in the house.
During his questioning, although he admitted to meeting with Angela at his apartment on the night she went missing and being near the desert area later, he denied having anything to do with her homicide. He claimed that he was in the desert area doing landscaping for a friend. However, since the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office had enough incriminating evidence against him, LaShawn was charged with second-degree murder, kidnapping, and other charges in connection with Angela Russo’s killing. At the time, he was already behind bars on unrelated charges.
LaShawn Johnson is Serving His Sentence at an Arizona Prison Today
On July 19, 2018, LaShawn Johnson’s murder trial got underway. During the trial, the defense told the jury that the defendant’s girlfriend, Claudia, was responsible for stabbing Angela Russo to death. They claimed that after catching LaShawn with Angela, Claudia began a heated altercation with the latter, which turned fatal. They alleged that the only crime the defendant was guilty of was helping his girlfriend cover up the crime. Meanwhile, the prosecution argued that LaShawn gained Angela’s trust like a predator on a dating site and lured her to his Phoenix apartment using an alias.
They alleged that after killing her, he drove her car out to the desert and burned it. The prosecution also presented the jury with several gruesome pictures and other pieces of evidence that pointed to LaShawn being the killer. It is reported that the defendant also took the stand and claimed that he had consensual sex with Angela, with whom he was caught by Claudia. He accused his girlfriend of using a kitchen knife to stab Angela. More than two weeks of testimony later, the jury deliberated and reached a final verdict.
On August 8, 2018, LaShawn Johnson was found guilty of first-degree premeditated murder, theft of means of transportation, arson, and abandonment or concealment of a dead body. Following the verdict, Angela’s mother said, “It’s a day of celebration, but it’s a day we never should have to endure in the first place.” Nearly two months later, on October 5, 2018, LaShawn was sentenced to life in prison for the killing of Angela Russo. Currently, the 36-year-old killer is incarcerated at La Palma Correctional Center in Pinal County, Arizona.
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