Columbia murder suspect accused of exposing herself to another inmate

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A woman accused of murder in the death of an 8-month-old girl in 2021 has been charged again.

Jennifer Johnson, 49, was charged with misdemeanor sexual abuse in Phelps County after she allegedly exposed herself to another inmate at the jail. She is currently being held without bond. She is charged with second-degree felony murder and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child in Boone County.

The probable cause statement says the inmate told authorities of the situation on Wednesday and video footage allegedly backed up their claim.

Columbia police arrested Jennifer Johnson in April 2021, after being called to a home in the 1000 block of Elleta Boulevard in north Columbia. 

According to court documents in previous reporting, police were dispatched to the Women's and Children’s Hospital in Columbia on the morning of April 18, 2021, where they were informed that an 8-month-old, Hannah Kent, who was under her care, had died.

Johnson allegedly told police she last saw the infant alive at 2:15 a.m. after giving her a bottle, the probable cause statement says.