An East Baton Rouge jury found a man guilty of first-degree murder Friday for stabbing a woman to death on Instagram Live during the haze of a multiday drug binge.

The verdict for Earl Lee Johnson Jr. culminated a five-day trial inside the 19th Judicial District Courthouse.

Johnson, 39, held 34-year-old Janice David hostage in his car before beating her with a tire iron, tying her up with jumper cables, torturing and stabbing the woman 42 times on April 18, 2022.

He livestreamed portions of the fatal attack on Instagram Live and reveled as hundreds of online viewers watched him take David’s life.

Johnson’s attorneys spent three days trying to convince a jury of eight women and five men that Johnson’s mental instability prevented him from knowing the difference between right and wrong w

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