Man Accused of Robbing Two Men, Killing One He Met on Dating App

An Indianapolis man is facing charges for the armed robbery of two men he met through a dating app and the murder of one of them.

Diabolique Paris Johnson, 34, is accused of the armed robbery of a 26-year-old Detroit man September 1 in a hotel in Dearborn, Mich., and is charged with the armed robbery and murder of a 39-year-old Detroit man four days later.

According to a release from Michigan's out attorney general, Dana Nessel, the victims are believed to have been targeted through dating apps for being members of the LGBTQ+ community, although the name of the app was not included in the statement.

Nessel is offering county prosecutors throughout the state assistance through the office's Hate Crimes Unit, which she created in 2019 in order to investigate crimes tied to a victim's race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Johnson was arrested in December. He was extradited from Indianapolis Tuesday and arraigned Wednesday in Dearborn for the armed robbery and Thursday in Detroit's 36th District Court for the murder charge. His preliminary examination is scheduled for March 19.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy brought the charges against Johnson with the assistance of the Fair Michigan Justice Project, which helps police and prosecutors solve crimes against LGBTQ+ people.

"I'm proud to stand with Prosecutor Worthy and the Fair Michigan Justice Project to announce these charges today. It's my hope that this case marks the beginning of a long partnership focused on providing justice to some of our most vulnerable communities," Nessel said in a statement.

Added Alanna Maguire, president of the Fair Michigan Justice Project: "It is troubling that the perpetrator of these vicious acts apparently used online dating apps to locate and target his victims. Michigan's LGBTQ communities know that the Fair Michigan Justice Project, along with Michigan's county prosecutors and law enforcement officials, stand ready to aggressively investigate and prosecute these brutal crimes."