Astrology influencer posted eclipse warning before suspected murder-suicide

A popular astrology influencer, who warned “there’s more deaths” during eclipses, fatally stabbed her boyfriend then hurled her two children out of a moving car as she fled on the freeway, according to police.

Danielle Johnson was also known as Danielle Ayoka and posted online as “Ayoka.” She had posted a string of ominous astrological warnings on social media, warning her almost 104,000 followers that Monday’s solar eclipse meant that “the apocalypse is here.”

Hours before millions of Americans gazed up to enjoy the celestial spectacle, the 34-year-old died when she smashed her car into a tree in Redondo Beach, California. She had murdered her boyfriend and her 8-month-old baby beforehand, police said, while her 9-year-old daughter was hospitalized but survived the attack.

On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the U.S., according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), which equates to more than 10 million attacks each year. One in seven women and one in 25 men have been injured by an intimate partner, according to the organization. There has been a rise in murder-suicides in recent years, with some experts suggesting Covid-19 stresses and lockdowns may have contributed to create a “pandemic within a pandemic.“

Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) released details of the tragedy on Wednesday, describing the events as “double murder-suicide” in a statement published on the force’s Facebook page.

Officers first found the body of Johnson’s boyfriend, Jaelen Chaney, 29, at the couple’s home in the 6200 block of Variel Avenue in Woodland Hills after concerned neighbors saw the front door was open at around 7:35 a.m. Homicide detectives working at the scene and collaborating with other police units subsequently realized that the stabbing was connected to two other incidents along the 405 Freeway.

Chaney had been stabbed following an altercation at around 3:40 a.m., police said, with Johnson then fleeing the scene with her two children in a Porsche SUV.

“Around 4:30 a.m., the dark-colored SUV was observed driving on the 405 Freeway when the two children were expelled from the vehicle while it was moving,” police said. “The nine-year-old child sustained moderate injuries from the fall and was transported to a local hospital. The eight-month-old child sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at scene.” Members of the public saw the pair on the road and stopped to try to help before calling 911.

After throwing her children from her car, Johnson’s speed picked up, and she was driving in excess of 100 miles per hour before plowing into a tree in the city of Redondo Beach near the intersection of Vincent Street and the Pacific Coast Highway.

Lt. Guy Nolan, of the LAPD, told ABC 7: “The only witness we have for this crime now is the 9-year-old girl. There’s just very little information we have, other than there was a verbal altercation that turned violent and it ended in tragedy.”

Detectives will now be combing Johnson’s social media pages for clues as to her state of mind.

Reportedly posting online as Danielle Ayoka, the influencer was prolific across social media. A clip of her appearing on podcast The Scottie & Sylvia Show was shared on TV by ABC 7. She spoke about the upcoming eclipse and warned: “When there’s a full moon there’s higher crime rates, there’s more births. Eclipses: there’s more births, there’s more deaths.”

Newsweek has reached out to LAPD seeking confirmation that Johnson was also known as Ayoka online, and requesting further information and comment about the murders.

The astrologer had her own website in which she said she was “changing reality one intention at a time.” She described herself as working with “practical magic, healing with ancient teachings, [and] breaking cycles by rewriting the future.”

A profile section on the website said she was a certified “Reiki Master,” who began her “rite of passage into Shamanism” following a near-death experience when she was 3 years old. She was an undergrad psychology student before deciding to “go beyond the mundane limitations of the traditional theraputic [sic] methods of healing” by offering remote treatment and astrology readings.

A smiley soft-focus photograph and images of pink roses adorned Ayoka’s profile page on X (formerly Twitter). But her posts appeared to have become increasingly agitated in recent days.

Last Friday, April 5, she pinned a post to the top of her page, reading: “WAKE UP WAKE UP THE APOCALYPSE IS HERE. EVERYONE WHO HAS EARS LISTEN. YOUR TIME TO CHOOSE WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS NOW. IF YOU BELIEVE A NEW WORLD IS POSSIBLE FOR THE PEOPLE RT NOW. THERE IS POWER IN CHOICE. THERE IS POWER IN CHOICE!!!! REPOST TO MAKE THE CHOICE FOR THE COLLECTIVE.”

The day before, she had told her followers: “This eclipse is the epitome of spiritual warfare. Get your protection on and your heart in the right place. The world is very obviously changing right now and if you ever needed to pick a side, the time to do right in your life is now. Stay strong you got this.”

Anyone with information that may help the investigation is asked to contact Operations Valley Bureau Homicide Detectives at (818) 374-9550. Tipsters wishing to remain anonymous should call the LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or go directly to www.lacrimestoppers.org.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “988” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.