Xavier Johnson: Philadelphia man pleads guilty to killing foster brother and mother nearly 5 years ago

Warning: This article contains recollection of the crime that may trigger some readers. Discretion is advised.

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: A man from Philadelphia pleaded guilty on Friday, March 22, 2024, to killing his foster brother and mother nearly five years ago.

According to NBC, Xavier Johnson, who was 17 years old at the time of the crime, tried to rob his foster mother Renee Gilyard, 64, and foster brother Jimmy Mao, 20, before he ultimately killed them, police said. Homicide detectives have described the killings as brutal.

What did Xavier Johnson do? 

As per the prosecutors, the murders of Gilyard and Mao happened about a month apart, the first being his foster brother Jimmy Mao.

When Mao was playing video games in December 2019, Johnson, now 22, broke into his room, strangled and stabbed him in the head and chest, then placed his body in a duffle bag and threw it down the railroad tracks.

According to officials, someone on the other end of the video game heard Mao say, “Get out of here,” before the game cut out. It took weeks to find the 20-year-old’s body. Johnson was then moved to his foster mother Renee Gillyard’s home.

Xavier Johnson killed his foster mother Renee Gilyard

Xavier Johnson was there for a short time before Gillyard told officials he was not following her rules and was out all hours of the night.

A day later, on January 15, 2020, the 64-year-old was found stabbed to death in the bathtub by her son in her East Germantown house. The authorities said her car, a Nissan Rogue, and her wallet were gone.

The following day, an officer tried to stop the automobile after noticing it, but it took off and led police on a fast-paced pursuit through West Philadelphia.

It crashed eventually, allowing Johnson and the other three in the vehicle to escape. Gillard's bank card was discovered in Johnson's pocket when he was taken into custody.

As per court documents, Johnson entered a guilty plea to two counts of third-degree murder, theft, robbery, eluding the police, and other offenses after being charged.

Johnson reportedly had five arrests before this incident, including aggravated assault, the cops said.

He admitted to the court that he suffers from ADHD and PTSD. His sentencing hearing is set for July.