In April 2019, John Jonchuck was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his five-year-old daughter, Phoebe, after throwing her off a 60-foot bridge in Florida. The tragic incident occurred in January 2015 when Jonchuck, then 25, believed that taking his daughter’s life would somehow save her.
Jonchuck’s defense attorneys argued that he was insane at the time of the crime, but jurors rejected the claim, convicting him of first-degree murder after a 21-day trial. The jury was presented with chilling evidence of how Jonchuck drove towards the Dick Meisner Skyway Bridge in Tampa during the early morning hours of January 8, 2015, while a police officer trailed behind him with her lights off.
When Jonchuck stopped his car on the bridge, the officer told him to get back in the vehicle and show his hands. Instead, Jonchuck chillingly replied, “You have no free will,” before picking up Phoebe from the backseat, walking to the guardrail, and dropping her into the cold waters below. Despite surviving the fall, Phoebe later died from hypothermia caused by exposure to the freezing water.
During a preliminary hearing in December 2018, Jonchuck revealed that he had been hearing “voices” telling him to kill his daughter. His mother, Mickey Jonchuck, testified that her son had become obsessed with the Bible, even spreading salt around doorways in a desperate attempt to ward off evil spirits. Jonchuck reportedly told his stepmother that he believed Phoebe was a demon.
In his first interview with detectives, Jonchuck declared, “My name is God and you shall address me as such.” He later told a psychiatrist, “I was hearing voices saying that if me and Phoebe didn’t die, everybody was going to go to hell.” Jonchuck described himself as “a really good father” and claimed that Phoebe “loved him so much.” He also reflected on a haunting promise he made to his daughter, saying, “I always promised her that I’m not going to let anything happen, and I did.”
The court also learned that Jonchuck had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder but had stopped taking his medication prior to the incident.
No members of Jonchuck’s family were present in the courtroom for his sentencing, and no one spoke on behalf of Phoebe. Prosecutor Bernie McCabe stated after the verdict, “I am satisfied that justice was done. My immediate reaction is killing children doesn’t make one a very sympathetic character.”