On May 10, Kayla Malec shared more details about her court case against her ex-boyfriend Evan Johnson. In a TikTok video, Malec gave viewers an hour-by-hour breakdown of her May 7 day in court, which resulted in Malec winning her domestic violence case against Johnson. “Nothing feels real still,” Malec said in her TikTok. “Everything worked out.”
In April, Malec accused Johnston of verbally and physically assaulting her throughout their nine-month relationship in a series of videos posted to YouTube and TikTok. Shortly after the videos went viral, Johnson posted his own videos on social media, which have since been deleted, saying in part, “I’m gonna hold myself accountable … knowing what I did was wrong,” but said Malec “exaggerates.”
Days later, on April 7, People reported that Johnson was arrested in Sumner County, Tennessee, for alleged domestic assault and probation violation. He was then released on a $30,000 bond before his first official court appearance on April 22 and his official hearing on May 7.
In her recent video, Malec provided more information on the actual court case, as well as Johnson’s sentencing and her next steps moving forward. “A lot of people thought this was a jury trial, like a whole trial where we would have to give statements and all of that stuff,” Malec said. “That did not happen — if he were to have pled ‘not guilty’ or not accepted the deal, then it would’ve been a whole other jury, trial, all of that stuff.”
Malec shared that she had heard rumors that Johnson’s friends would show up to the courthouse to “harass” her, but upon entering the courtroom, she saw that Johnson was there by himself without any friends or family to support him. “It was my first time seeing him since everything,” Malec said. “And, to my shock, he was alone.”
Since Johnson waived his right to a trial, the case moved immediately to sentencing. As she waited for the judge to call Johnson up for sentencing, Malec said that she sat in his peripheral vision and did not take her eyes off of him. “I eyed him down the whole time,” Malec said. “I’ve never in my life been so anxious that my body was uncontrollably shaking.”
Johnson pleaded guilty to all charges, including domestic assault. Malec said he was then handcuffed and escorted out of the courtroom, but not before she had the chance to look in in the eye for the last time. “For a split moment, we locked eye contact, and I smiled at him,” Malec said. “And he put his head down, and then was taken into the back room for custody.” She also said that Johnson was booked at exactly 5:55, which is the angel number for change (555).
Malec shared that Johnson was sentenced to 18 months in jail for a misdemeanor, but she is moving forward with pressing felony charges in California and Hawaii (where other instances of the abuse allegedly occurred). “So, even though it’s over in the state of Tennessee, it’s not in California,” Malec said. “So, I still have a lot more f*cking sh*t to do.”
Malec didn’t share any details of her official timeline when it comes to the future charges, but she ended her video on a positive note. “To know that I’m safe for the next year and a half, I can’t put it into words,” Malec said. “I don’t know, I just feel really happy.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, call 911 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1(800) 799-SAFE (7233) or visit thehotline.org