By AP/KWMU
Kansas City, MO – The man accused of helping kill the girl long known as "Precious Doe" is due in court this morning.
Harrell Johnson is scheduled to be arraigned Monday on an upgraded charge of first-degree murder.
The girl, Erica Michelle Green, was found decapitated in Kansas City five years ago, with authorities unable to identify her. The break in the case came earlier this year, when Johnson and his wife were arrested in May after police got a tip from a family member.
According to court papers, Johnson has admitted he was under the influence of alcohol and drugs when he got angry with Erica after she refused to go to bed. The papers also say he grabbed and kicked the girl, and threw her to the ground. After she died, he allegedly used hedge clippers to cut off her head and dispose of the body, with the help of his wife.
The next step for prosecutors is to decide whether to seek the death penalty for Johnson.