London man pleads guilty in violent death of partner

It started out as a night of drinking and partying for partners Maryhelen Johnston, 39, and James Braun, now 45, almost four years ago, but it quickly turned deadly.

In an agreed statement of facts, Crown Attorney Roger Dietrich told the court that on May 12, 2019, the clerk at a south London hotel where they were staying said, “He could hear both parties yelling with Ms. Johnston screaming.

He said after police were called, “They found Mr. Braun and Ms. Johnston who was in medical distress.”

Dietrich continued, “Police could hear a male voice crying and whining in a frantic tone...’wake up, please wake up.’”

Officers found that Braun was sweating and was heavily intoxicated.

Johnston was rushed to hospital where she died three days later from her injuries.

Dietrich told the court that she suffered multiple blunt force traumas to the face and scalp, some of which were healed and others being more recent saying, “The hematoma was the likely cause of the deceased’s cardio respiratory arrest.”

The autopsy could not say whether Johnston died after being struck several times or only once.

After being arrested Braun was quickly taken into custody by officers and charged.

Appearing in court in an orange jumpsuit from the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre, Braun quietly plead guilty to one count of manslaughter.

Court records show that he has a criminal record after pleading guilty several years ago to fraud while he operated a renovation business.

A sentencing hearing for Braun in this case is scheduled for April 17.