Vehicle Homicide Trial For David Johnson Postponed To Mid-February 2026

The trial dates for a man accused of hitting and killing an Australian woman with his vehicle at a major intersection north of downtown Sheridan have been changed.

David Johnson (age 33 or 34) of Sheridan has pleaded not guilty to one misdemeanor charge of homicide by vehicle and one misdemeanor charge of failure to yield.

His bench trial on both charges was supposed to be earlier this month, but has been moved to another day to allow his defense team more time to prepare.

The homicide by vehicle charge will now be a 3-day, 6-person jury trial beginning February 18th, while the other charge will be a bench trial to be held on a date to be announced.

According to court documents, in late May, Johnson hit and killed 65-year old Julie Fitzsimons with the vehicle he was driving, while he was making a right turn from West 5th Street to North Main Street.

Further details of the incident are unavailable.

Criminal law states that a misdemeanor charge of vehicular homicide, would indicate that Johnson was driving negligently, and not in an aggressive or reckless manner, which are the conditions needed in order for the charge to be a felony.

Since the homicide by vehicle charge is being tried as a misdemeanor, Johnson could face up to 1 year in the Sheridan County jail, if convicted.

At the time of the incident, Johnson was on one year of probation in an unrelated case, where he pleaded guilty to charges of domestic battery and interfering with a police officer, stemming from an incident in October 2024.

He also has a prior DUI conviction.