BOLIVAR, Mo. – A Halfway man who claimed his wife’s death was a suicide has been set for trial in July on first-degree murder charges.

According to online court records, Lucky Jay Johnson is to stand trial beginning July 18, 2023, for the death of Darrianna Johnson at the couple’s home on South 207^th Road near Halfway.

According to a probable cause statement, the 27-year-old woman was found by detectives on May 17, 2022, lying on her bed with a shotgun aimed at her head by her side.

However, investigators say that the nature of her injuries and the position of the weapon were inconsistent with suicide.

Johnson, 40, is being held in the Polk County Jail in lieu of a $1 million bond. He is to appear at a pre-trial conference on May 9, 2023.