Provo woman gets life sentence for husband's murder

Melissa Johnson-Fausett was sentenced in Provo’s 4th District Court to consecutive prison terms after pleading guilty to killing her husband, Corry Fausett, in their home on Jan. 6, 2024. Court records and local reports say the 58-year-old admitted in April to murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice. Judge Denise Porter ordered the terms to run one after another, leaving Johnson-Fausett with a minimum of eight years in prison and a possible life sentence. Prosecutors had said the physical evidence at the scene did not support Johnson-Fausett’s claim that she shot in self-defense. ### How did the case begin? Provo police responded to the couple’s home on Jan. 6, 2024, after Johnson-Fausett called to report that she had shot her husband. Officers found Corry Fausett, 55, inside the residence, covered in blood, according to charging documents cited by ABC4 and KSL. Johnson-Fausett told investigators that her husband had grabbed her by the neck and hit her while she was in bed, and that she fired because she feared he was going to get another gun. (abc4.com) Corry Fausett suffered four gunshot wounds, including injuries to the right side of his body, the back of his head and the left side of his face, court documents said. One wound showed burn marks consistent with a close-range shot, and investigators also found damage to the floor beneath his body that they said indicated shots were fired downward from directly above him. ### What evidence did investigators say contradicted self-defense? (abc4.com) Investigators found two handguns in the home, not one. The gun Johnson-Fausett said she used was recovered, and a second handgun was found in a purse under clothing, according to court documents cited by ABC4. Only the second gun had visible blood on it, and testing showed that blood was human, police said. Medical personnel also found no injury to Johnson-Fausett’s head, despite her statement that Corry Fausett had struck her there, the court documents said. (abc4.com) Prosecutors said there was no evidence that, once he had fallen, he was still moving in a way that posed a threat to her safety. ABC4 reported that police cited the scene evidence and what they described as Johnson-Fausett’s “inconsistent statements” in arresting and charging her. (abc4.com) ### What charges did she admit to? Johnson-Fausett pleaded guilty on April 14, 2026, to one count of murder, one count of felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury and one count of obstruction of justice, ABC4 reported. The plea agreement reduced the murder count to a second-degree felony. Her trial had been scheduled to start in May before the plea was entered. KSL reported that prosecutors said they agreed to reduce the murder charge so Corry Fausett’s family would not have to go through a trial. (abc4.com) At sentencing, family members addressed the court before Porter imposed the consecutive terms. ### What sentence did the judge impose? Judge Denise Porter sentenced Johnson-Fausett to two to 20 years for second-degree murder, five years to life for felony discharge of a firearm, and one to 15 years for obstruction of justice, according to ABC4. (abc4.com) Because the sentences run consecutively, KSL reported that the combined punishment amounts to a minimum of eight years in prison and up to life. Johnson-Fausett received credit for time served. (ksl.com) An MSN video summary of the hearing also reported that Johnson-Fausett asked for forgiveness before sentencing. KSL said Corry Fausett’s son and niece spoke about the impact of the killing before the judge announced the sentence. ### What comes next in the case? Utah prison authorities will now take custody of Johnson-Fausett under the sentence imposed in 4th District Court. (abc4.com) ABC4 reported that the court gave her credit for time already served, and the consecutive terms leave the parole consequences to Utah’s prison and parole process under the ranges set by Porter on May 26. (msn.com)