Husband who went viral for leaving wife romantic note on mirror suspected of killing her

Timothy Murphy Johnson, 40, became an internet sensation in 2015 when his wife Molly posted a heartfelt note he had written for her on their bedroom mirror - now he's facing a murder accusation

A man who went viral for leaving an adorable message to his wife on a mirror has been accused of her murder.

In 2015, Timothy Murphy Johnson, 40, melted hearts online when his wife Molly shared a message he left on their bedroom mirror, titled: 'Reasons I love my wife. The list praised Molly for being his "best friend" and "never quitting on herself or me."

However, after Molly's death in 2017, initially believed to be a suicide by overdose, friends and family voiced suspicions to The Times about Murphy-Johnson's involvement, especially following his conviction for the kidnap and torture of a 16-year-old girl last year.

Prosecutors said Murphy-Johnson and his girlfriend Olivia Ashford Henn, 21, held the teenager captive for over six weeks in early June 2023, subjecting her to naked restraint, knife cuts, and forced drug overdoses, all recorded by Murphy-Johnson. With Murphy-Johnson now serving a life sentence, doubts are cast over the true nature of Molly's demise.

Sources said despite the loving message he left for Molly on their mirror, she was reportedly trapped in a toxic marriage, frequently alleging Murphy-Johnson had assaulted, raped, and even threatened to kill her. She had confided in friends about being forced into prostitution by her husband and claimed in a legal document that he had threatened to end her life with a drug overdose, staging it as suicide, reports the Mirror US.

A childhood friend of Molly's, Anna-Marie Anderson, said: "I believe Tim either provided her with drugs or forced her to take them. She was brilliant, extremely educated on medication and drugs, and in my opinion, she would not go out that way."

During the investigation, messages Molly sent to friends were uncovered, revealing her intentions to divorce Murphy-Johnson but also her fear of him, often sharing photos of her injuries. In one chilling text, she wrote: "He (Murphy-Johnson) just offered me some drug that will kill me, so I can get it over with already... guess I'll just make it easier for us both."

The ill-fated couple initially connected on the dating website OK Cupid in 2012, leading Molly to ditch her plans for a master's degree to move to San Francisco with Murphy-Johnson when he secured a new job. Molly's father, Bob Gelman, said his daughter had twice called him to "rescue her" following the move, around the same time Murphy-Johnson proposed to her.

"Molly had to fork out for her own ring, which Tim kept. I suggested they hold off on tying the knot for at least a year considering their rocky relationship history. They eloped just a few months later," he revealed. Mr Gelman disclosed that despite their tumultuous past, Tim managed to woo Molly back repeatedly.

After relocating to LA, he shared a disturbing detail: "Molly was forced to leave her job due to the visible cuts and bruises on her body." During the investigation into her untimely death, Molly's friends uncovered explicit photos of her on adult sites such as Pornhub, where she was advertised as an 'escort' and tagged as a 'naughty nerd'.

A mere seven months following the internet fame of Molly's mirror selfie, she filed for a restraining order against her spouse, claiming he "threatened to kill me (and make it look like a suicide)." In her legal documents, she alleged he "physically assaulted me by kicking my back/stomach, punching my head/arms, pushing me down and stealing my purse, money and phone to prevent me getting away."

The narrative took a darker turn with reports of a beauty queen alleging Donald Trump 'jumped' her in his suite at New York's Plaza Hotel, and a shocking incident involving an Ohio grandmother who reportedly shot her infant granddaughter in the head and displayed 'no remorse'.

The tragic end came when Molly was found deceased in her bed on December 16, 2017. Adding to the tragedy, Mr Gelman stated that his son-in-law failed to inform him about Molly's passing; instead, he learned the devastating news from Molly's former boyfriend.

"Tim attempted to have her cremated immediately. I insisted on an autopsy," said Gelman to The Times. "Eventually she was cremated, and Tim took all of her remains. I never received anything of her to bury."

Friends were informed by Murphy-Johnson that his wife left a suicide note, yet the coroner's report made no mention of such a note.

Additionally, Molly's system contained less than half the fentanyl typically seen in suicide cases. While accusations suggest Molly may have been forced to use drugs during her marriage, the coroner announced, "concern of emotional abuse and manipulation are outside the scope of what the coroner's department can evaluate."

Relatives of Murphy-Johnson dismissed the allegations as "baseless."

An anonymous relative said: "Molly had a serious drug addiction to fentanyl, as well as depression and a history of suicide attempts. Tim saved her life on more than one occasion ... so I don't believe he killed her.

"To be frank they both thought the other was trying to kill them. It was chaos. It was a sad, toxic, mess, two people with deadly drug addictions and mental illness for one terrible relationship. He did love her very much and her death is what led to him descending into madness. I can't make excuses for anything Tim has done."