BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Arrest documents show that a man accused in the beating death of a woman had a history of abuse in relationships.
The Baton Rouge Police Department said Rachel Johnson, 42, was found beaten to death in her Florida Boulevard home around 10:30 a.m. Monday, July 3. An affidavit said Johnson was found partially naked in the living room with new and old bruising on her body. An autopsy later confirmed that her injuries were recent and from previous altercations.
According to officers, it looked like Johnson had been slammed down on pieces of furniture and beaten on the head and face. Arrest documents noted that Baton Rouge police had been called to make wellness checks before her death.
Cedrick Lang, 35, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder two days after Johnson’s body was found. Investigators learned that Lang had told a neighbor to call 911 after Johnson’s death before leaving the area.
Detectives talked to several witnesses during the investigation, all of which said they witnessed Lang abusing Johnson, even threatening to kill her, police documents said.
According to investigators, police records from three different jurisdictions showed reports involving Lang and physical abuse in relationships. Court records showed Lang was previously arrested on domestic abuse battery and violating protective orders.
