A man who went viral for an apparently adorable message left on a mirror to his wife has now been accused of killing her.

Timothy Murphy Johnson, 40, became an internet sensation in 2015 when his wife Molly posted a heartfelt note he had written for her on their bedroom mirror, titled: ‘Reasons I love my wife. ‘.

His list of reasons included Molly being his “best friend” and “never quitting on herself or me.”

Molly died two years later from what appeared to be a suicide caused by an overdose. But friends and family have told The Times that they now suspect Murphy-Johnson may have killed his wife, drawing comparisons between her death and the chilling way he kidnapped a 16-year-old girl last year.

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Prosecutors revealed that Murphy-Johnson, along with his girlfriend Olivia Ashford Henn, 21, abducted a 16-year-old girl in early June 2023 and kept her captive for over six weeks.

During her horrific ordeal, Murphy-Johnson tied her naked to a bed, cut her with a knife, and forced her to take drug overdoses, all of which was filmed by the man formerly dubbed as ‘America’s kindest husband.’

After Murphy-Johnson was handed a life sentence this year, those close to his late ex-wife began to question whether Molly had actually taken her own life.

Sources told The Times that despite the affectionate note he left for Molly on their mirror, she was known to be stuck in an abusive marriage and often claimed that Murphy-Johnson assaulted, raped and threatened to kill her.

She had confided in friends that her husband had forced her into prostitution and raped her, and even alleged in a court document that he threatened to kill her with a drug overdose and make it look like suicide.

One of Molly’s childhood pals, Anna-Marie Anderson, told the outlet: “I believe Tim either provided her with drugs or forced her to take them. She was brilliant, extremely educated on medication and drugs, and in my opinion, she would not go out that way.”

In messages sent to friends discovered during the investigation, Molly said she was planning to divorce her husband but was ‘scared’ of him, and frequently sent photos of her bruises to her friends.

In one of the messages, she stated: “He (Murphy-Johnson) just offered me some drug that will kill me, so I can get it over with already… guess I’ll just make it easier for us both.”

The couple had met on dating website OK Cupid in 2012, and Molly abandoned plans to study for a master’s degree to join Murphy-Johnson in San Francisco soon after when he landed a new job.

Molly’s father Bob Gelman revealed his daughter called him twice to “rescue her” after the move, but said “it was about that time that Tim proposed to Molly.”

“Molly had to fork out for her own ring, which Tim kept. I suggested they hold off on tying the knot for at least a year considering their rocky relationship history. They eloped just a few months later,” he revealed.

According to Mr Gelman, Tim managed to keep charming Molly to come back to him. He revealed that after their move to LA: “Molly was forced to leave her job due to the visible cuts and bruises on her body.”

During their probe into her death, Molly’s pals found explicit images of her on adult websites like Pornhub, where she was marketed as an ‘escort’ and labeled as a ‘naughty nerd’.

Just seven months after Molly’s mirror selfie went viral, she sought a restraining order against her husband, alleging he “threatened to kill me (and make it look like a suicide).”

In her filing, she claimed he “physically assaulted me by kicking my back/stomach, punching my head/arms, pushing me down and stealing my purse, money and phone to prevent me getting away.”

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Molly was discovered dead in her bed on the morning of December 16, 2017. However, Gelman said his son-in-law didn’t inform him of his daughter’s death and he only found out later from Molly’s ex-boyfriend.

“Tim attempted to have her cremated immediately. I insisted on an autopsy,” Gelman told The Times. “Eventually she was cremated, and Tim took all of her remains. I never received anything of her to bury.”

Murphy-Johnson informed friends that his wife had left a suicide note, but the coroner’s report didn’t mention any such note. Moreover, the amount of fentanyl in Molly’s system was less than half of what is typically found in suicide victims.

Despite the allegations of forced drug use in Molly’s marriage, the coroner stated, “concern of emotional abuse and manipulation are outside the scope of what the coroner’s department can evaluate.”

In response to the accusations from Molly’s loved ones, relatives of Murphy-Johnson labeled the claims as “baseless.”

“Molly had a serious drug addiction to fentanyl, as well as depression and a history of suicide attempts. Tim saved her life on more than one occasion … so I don’t believe he killed her,” said an anonymous relative.

“To be frank they both thought the other was trying to kill them. It was chaos. It was a sad, toxic, mess, two people with deadly drug addictions and mental illness for one terrible relationship. He did love her very much and her death is what led to him descending into madness. I can’t make excuses for anything Tim has done.”

They further added that “if there is any evidence” supporting Murphy-Johnson’s alleged involvement in his wife’s death, “then it should obviously be sent to the authorities”.