Woman pleads guilty to 2019 kidnapping, murder of Penn Hills toddler

Nalani Johnson’s family wants the world to know that the not-quite-2-year-old was smart and rambunctious with a contagious laugh.

“She was surrounded by a village that adored and doted on her. She was loved and cherished,” said her grandmother, Lisha Logan. “She was not a piece of garbage to be left in a park.”

Sharena Nancy, the woman who kidnapped Nalani on Aug. 31, 2019, smothered her and left her strapped into her car seat in the woods of Indiana County, pleaded guilty Friday to third-degree murder and kidnapping.

The plea agreement called for a sentence of 15 to 30 years in state prison. She will get credit for the 2½ years she has already served.

When asked if she had anything to say on her own behalf, Nancy, 27, of Penn Hills, replied, “No, your honor.”

Sharena Nancy, accused of the kidnapping and death of 2-year-old Nalani Johnson in August 2019, pleaded guilty this afternoon to third-degree murder and kidnapping. The plea agreement calls for her to serve 15 to 30 years in prison. pic.twitter.com/FrI73opfAQ

— Paula Reed Ward (@PaulaReedWard) April 1, 2022

Allegheny County Deputy District Attorney Stephie Ramaley told the court on Friday that Nancy had been at Kennywood the afternoon of Aug. 31, 2019, with Nalani, the girl’s father Paul Johnson and his friend. They returned to Penn Hills around 5 p.m., but after Johnson and his friend got out of her black Toyota Yaris, Nancy sped off with Nalani still in her car seat.

Johnson tried to call Nancy several times, but she didn’t answer. Penn Hills police were called and issued an Amber Alert.

Nancy’s vehicle was stopped about two hours later on Rodi Road, but neither Nalani nor her car seat were inside.

Nancy told police she didn’t have any baby and denied any involvement.

Later, in an interview with county police and the FBI, Ramaley said Nancy told investigators that she took Nalani at Johnson’s request because he had sold her to another woman.

Nancy claimed to have met the woman on Route 22 and given Nalani to her.

For days, police and Nalani’s family searched for her. Ultimately, using video surveillance from businesses along the Route 22 corridor and cellphone tower data that tracked Nancy’s movements that day, a K-9 and the dog’s handler found Nalani, still strapped into her car seat, in Pine Ridge Park in Burrell Township near Chestnut Ridge Golf Course.

An autopsy showed she’d been suffocated.

When she was found, Nalani was wearing a black tank top with flamingos on it. In gold letters it read, “Born to shine.”

Related:

• Penn Hills woman charged in kidnapping, death of Nalani Johnson to stand trial
• Police: Homicide charges filed in Penn Hills toddler Nalani Johnson case
• DA: Sharena Nancy only suspect in Nalani Johnson abduction, homicide

Nancy’s defense attorneys presented no evidence during Friday’s hearing and very little argument.

“It’s an unimaginable tragedy, and there is deep regret here in the courtroom on behalf of our client,” said attorney Anthony DeLuca.

DeLuca said that Nancy is a pleasant person who has served as a mentor to others at Allegheny County Jail. She has shown a willingness to improve her own life and that of those around her.

He also said that the tragedy is compounded because Nancy has two children of her own — a 7-year-old in New York City and a 3-year-old overseas.

In the middle of DeLuca’s comments, Paul Johnson quickly left the courtroom and could be heard upset in the hallway.

It was clear from Nalani’s family’s testimony that the toddler had an outsized impact on them.

Denise Johnson, Nalani’s great-grandmother, called spending time with the toddler as the highlight of her day.

When Nalani was born, she got an infection and was hospitalized, she said.

“We just prayed for her to get better so they could bring her home,” her great-grandmother said. “She finally makes it through and was a healthy little girl, only to be killed by you.”

“You showed no remorse. You did nothing to help anyone find Nalani.”

Nalani’s great-aunt, Pariss Johnson, told the court there is no greater pain than what they are experiencing.

“When a child is taken and murdered, it hits the heart differently,” she said. “It feels like someone stabbed you right in the heart and left you to die, only you don’t. The fact that you are a mother shows what kind of monster you really are.”

Nalani’s grandmother, Taji Walsh, said that there is no possible penalty that could be enough.

“Accepting that you still have life in your body and my granddaughter does not has been the hardest thing to accept,” she told Nancy. “I pray that you see her little face every night you lay your head down to sleep.”

Walsh said Nalani’s memories will stay in their minds and hearts.

“Although you didn’t care about Nalani’s life, her family did,” she said. “She was and always will be loved beyond measure.”

Nalani’s mother, Gladys Duart, said her daughter never got to lose her first tooth, and Duart said she didn’t get to teach the girl how to tie her shoes.

“She gave me purpose. She lit up my world,” Duart said. “I don’t know why you did what you did. She was loved by anyone who ever met her.”

Logan told the court that she and her family cling to the memories of their last days with Nalani.

“Her dreams would have been encouraged. Her hurts would have been our hurts,” she said. “Her joys would have been our joys. What you didn’t know is that she gave us all something so rare that can’t be replaced.”

Common Pleas Judge Bruce Beemer said there are no words to express what Nalani’s family has suffered.

“What is clear, what she had that so many kids don’t have in this courtroom, is a family who loved her,” he told Nancy. “You have robbed them, and robbed her, of that life. She should be coming home and telling these wonderful people what happened in kindergarten, the friends she made.

“This poor family has been sentenced to life. I hope you understand that.”