Convicted murderer 'cracked woman's skull with a hatchet and buried her body underneath a burn pit in his backyard'

POLICE arrested a former convicted man who served 12 years for manslaughter after he allegedly hacked a woman to death and buried her remains in his Florida backyard.

Johnny Edwards Malisham, 60, was arrested by the Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office on Tuesday for murder after police found human remains buried under a burn pit behind his Milton, Pensacola home.


He was apparently identified when someone calling about a missing woman pointed fingers at Malisham.

On Sunday, the caller told the Butler County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama that Malisham killed Cynthia Hoover, 60, with a hatchet.

"All indications are leading us to believe it is most likely Cynthia Hoover," Santa Rosa police spokesperson Sergeant Rich Aloy told the Pensacola News Journal.

The tipster told police Malisham used a hatchet and then buried Hoover in his yard, and even asked the tipster, a woman, for help burying Hoover's body.


Malisham allegedly asked the woman to be his lookout while he buried Hoover's body.

An arrest report seen by the Journal described the woman acting as a lookout but saying she "couldn’t handle the sound of Cynthia’s body hitting the steps and ran to her house and locked the door."

The tipster told police Malisham told her he thought Hoover had stolen from him, and even described to the woman how he cracked Hoover's skull with a hatchet.

Malisham then allegedly threatened the woman if she told anyone about his request.

The woman who called police had apparently been friendly with Malisham for over 15 years as his neighbor.

The alleged murderer even asked another woman for a ride home after he ditched Hoover's car, but the woman refused.

Police say Hoover was reported missing on March 8, with authorities finding her car on Interstate 10 two days later.

When police searched his home, they found a 20-gauge shotgun in his closet and blood splatter that looked consistent with blunt force trauma.

The Florida State Attorney’s Office said Malisham served 12 years in Alabama for manslaughter and is the reason why he is held in custody at Santa Rosa County Jail without bail.

Malisham is charged with first-degree felony murder and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and faces up to life in prison.

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