Absolutely, they were extorted.. [39] He further stated that two brothers, named in previous legal actions by the Johnsons, are not suspects. I just keep waiting for someone to be honest with [the Johnsons], Karen Bell, the mother of Brian and Branden Bell, said. The Johnson family spoke Thursday in front of the sheriffs department, criticizing the report released Wednesday. A number of community activists have also spoken out in favor of the forthcoming probe into the Georgia teens death. According to Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk, If theres questions and theyre legitimate I need to know the answers myself. Kendrick Johnsons parents released a photo to the media of their sons face as he lay in the funeral home. The suit alleged that Johnson "was violently assaulted, severely injured, suffered great physical pain and mental anguish, and subjected to insult and loss of life" on January 10, 2013. Time stamps between some separate camera systems differed by as much as twenty minutes for the same time period, giving the impression of a gap for portions of the footage where no gap existed. Regardless, the organs were lost and could not be tested during the second autopsy, which further aroused suspicions in Johnsons parents that this was a cover-up. In June 2018, Kendrick Johnsons body was exhumed for a second time and a third autopsy was performed. That material included grand jury testimony, results from an autopsy conducted by federal authorities and additional digital evidence. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. The latest report addresses several controversial topics at the center of Johnsons death, including the teens autopsy, where his body was found, and cameras located at Lowndes High School. The video was streamed by Morant to his Instagram page, and it was not archived once he stopped the stream. The article used as a source an anonymous email to the sheriff's office. That initial investigation concluded that Johnson accidentally slipped into the center of the mat while reaching for a shoe and got stuck. [6] That lawsuit was subsequently withdrawn. We have a good picture of him and a pretty good description. Investigatorsdeclined to comment on what's said in theaudio but confirmed theyre now tracking down the individual who allegedly sold the tape to Johnsons mother. [30] After the Justice Department's motion was denied, Johnson's parents dismissed their own wrongful death lawsuit, saying that they hoped to refile it after the conclusion of the federal investigation. Over the years, the Johnsons have publicly implicated brothers Brian and Branden Bell in Kendricks death. You didnt find nothing in 17 boxes? Johnsons father, however, admitted that he had no hard evidence to back up any of these claims and the Johnsons had to drop the suit. The lawsuit alleged that the FBI agent ordered his two sons and a classmate to attack Johnson, that his death was a murder, and that the respondents engaged in a conspiracy to cover up the homicide. Thats the craziest lie you could have told. Johnson's family didn't accept the. The mat in which Johnson was found was around six feet tall. Published on February 1, 2022 08:45 AM. As parents, our hearts are broken, but we are determined to prevent a tragedy of this magnitude from occurring again., In March of last year, the family received an audio clip from a tipster who was paid for the information; in part, the voice said, I was just young and stupid. In 2015, the Johnson family filed a wrongful death suit against brothers Brian and Branden Bell, and another peer, Ryan Hall, who they allege are responsible for Kendrick Johnsons death. Kendrick Johnsons case closed after authorities say no crime found, Reports: 3 children dead, 2 wounded in attack at Texas home, Kellyanne Conway, George Conway To Divorce After Decadeslong Marriage: Report, School punished teen girl for working out in sports bra in 100-degree Texas heat, ACLU says, U.S. court won't require FAA to make airplane seat size, spacing rules, 'Extremely dangerous': Spike in illegal crossings at Canada-Vermont border has feds sounding alarm, SoCal in for cool start to weekend, butlight showers make brief return, Scam alert: arrest warrant calls are fake, sheriff's office says, Heidi Klum's husband thinks the couple's dogs might have been poisoned. [11] An autopsy by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) stated that Johnson had died from positional asphyxia,[12] and the case was ruled an accidental death by the Lowndes County investigators. You're in for a treat! All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. [11] A student at the school said that he shared a pair of Adidas shoes with Johnson, and that after gym class Johnson would always "go to the mats, jump up and toss the shoes inside the middle of the hole. However,. High-traffic streets like Norman Drive in. 'Finding Kendrick Johnson' Documentary Shows Facts, Not Conspiracies Crime 'Somebody Knows' What Happened: Doc Filmmaker Speaks on Case About Georgia Teen Found Dead Inside a Gym Mat Finding. The NBA has opened an investigation into a social media post by Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant after he livestreamed himself holding what appeared to be a gun at a club early Saturday. But investigators quickly closed their case on the theory that Johnson had simply fallen into the mat while reaching for one of his sneakers. Coleman called for the individuals immediate arrest. I encourage everyone to study ALL the evidence in this file before forming an opinion.. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! They purchased this from an individual and he did not give them his true name. Kendrick Johnson lived with his family in Valdosta, Georgia and attended Lowndes High School. In June 2016, the Department of Justice announced no charges would be filed against anyone in relation to Kendrick Johnsons death, considering there was insufficient evidence to support federal criminal charges.. But inconsistencies in official reports on the condition of Kendricks body and other discrepancies led the family and community to question the official cause of his death. LeBron James is still in the closet, but he will join Green and Perkins as an "America First" hoopster when Bronny James is toiling in a faraway foreign league.MAGA NBA players are annoyed that foreigners are taking over a . The US Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Ohio declined to comment. In 2018, an independent autopsy indicated signs of foul play in the teen's death, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The sheriff described the re-examination into Kendrick Johnsons death as afinal effort to bring some closure to the teens family. Now, positional asphyxia is a legitimate cause of death. 2023 Cox Media Group. It's just like,'shut this family up,' sending them on their way, but what they didn't realize is the Johnson family is not going anywhere. [33], On June 20, 2016, the Department of Justice announced that they would not be filing any criminal charges related to Johnson's death, stating, "After extensive investigation into this tragic event, federal investigators determined that there is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that someone or some group of people willfully violated Kendrick Johnson's civil rights or committed any other prosecutable federal crime. I would be suspicious too, if I were Kendricks parents, that there may be some kind of cover up occurring because, lets face it, who has ever heard of someone dying in a rolled up gym mat? The FBI had previously said the siblings were in separate parts of the Valdosta-area high school at the time of Johnsons death. In 2013, the 17-year-olds body was found upside down inside a rolled-up gym mat at a Georgia high school; he'd suffocated to death. The Johnsons were also sure that their sons body had been moved, which was corroborated by Lowndes County Coroner, Bill Watson. It's just like,'shut this family up,' sending them on their way, but what they didn't realize is the Johnson family is not going anywhere.". He was found dead in a rolled up wresting mat. Johnsons parents were suspicious of the investigation from the beginning. Tweet. [28] Shortly after receiving the case, Dettlebach also resigned. The new findings were the result of a second investigation by the Lowndes County Sheriffs Office following one by the FBI. [26] Jim Elliott, the Lowndes County Attorney, stated that the allegations were "unfounded" and "baseless" and that any response would be made in court. Investigators did not take the hoodie and orange and black gym shoes into evidence. The dead teens mother, Jaqueline Johnson, told the TV station she is not surprised by the sheriffs findings. The body of 17-year-old Johnson was found upside down in a mat in Lowndes County High School in January 2013. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. Justice denied. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Seventeen-year-old Kendrick Johnsons body was inexplicably found upside-down in a rolled-up gym mat in 2013. Students had also told police that it was common for them to leave their belongings in the mats when they didnt want to pay for a locker. The origin and credibility of the recording . Paulk noted that Branden Bell left campus an hour before Johnson vanished. MATTIE'S CALL: A 9-month-old baby girl was reported missing from the Ellenwood area with a man police say was diagnosed with a mental illness. It includes photographs from the schools gymnasium. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. The teens parents say they are not convinced. Share. The three teens were classmates. Indeed, when the mat was first unrolled, Johnson did have one arm stretched above his head and the other down around his waist as though struggling for his shoe. We know that.. Johnson's head was pointed toward the floor in the. A hoodie and a pair of orange and black gym shoes were also found lying on the floor of the gym, as well as traces of blood on the wall nearby. All Rights Reserved. [29], In November 2015, the Department of Justice filed a motion in the civil case to intervene and stay the case. [12] Three students at Lowndes High School told investigators that it was common for some students to store their shoes behind or under the rolled up mats, Johnson was not wearing shoes when he was found. VALDOSTA, Ga. The sheriff at the center of the Kendrick Johnson death case says his department has gone through the evidence extensively and found no crime. On that tape, you very clearly hear what appears to be a caucasian young male admitting very tearful, very fearful and stating twice that he knows that hes going to get caught, Marcus Coleman, a spokesperson for the Johnson family, told Oxygen.com. Then, in 2014, Kendrick Johnsons parents filed a wrongful death suit against the schools officials, alleging that Johnson had been harassed by a white student which went neglected by the school, perhaps due to his race. On June 20, 2016, the Department of Justice announced that it would not be filing any criminal charges related to Johnson's death. Listen Now Episode Info The familys attorney, Chevene King, expressed thatif Kendrick had been white, the case would have been handled differently. [40], "Kendrick Johnson" redirects here. These issues dont mean that someone will kill someone else, however. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Discovery Company. Valdosta, Georgia CNN For the local sheriff's department, the death of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson is a closed book: A tragedy, but an accident. Take a look at the list below for all the gory details! The case was. Now, the sheriffs have enough evidence in hand to perhaps allow them to solve this mystery once and for all. Though it was quickly ruled an accidental death, Kendrick's family thought something was wrong. Authorities say it appears he was trying to reach for a shoe he had left inside the mat before winter break, got stuck and died. The origin and credibility of the recording which was provided to the Lowndes County Sheriffs Office after being purchased by Johnsons family are bothnow being investigated. As he was upside down, blood would have rushed to Johnsons head and he eventually would have begun to bleed from his facial orifices. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Kendrick Johnson was found dead in a gym mat at Lowndes High School in January 2013. [2], Authorities hypothesized that Johnson had fallen into the mat while looking for a shoe and died after being unable to get out. 1 of 2. The Justice Department announced in October 2013 it was opening an investigation into the case and in 2016 said it was closing the case, saying it had found insufficient evidence to support federal criminal charges.. Anderson claimed that his findings indicated traces of blunt force trauma to the right neck and soft tissues, and suggested the death was not accidental. According to Paulk, it was Kendrick Johnson's mother, Jackie Johnson, who obtained the recording and turned it in to investigators. We know that.. The only way Im going to know is to look at the evidence myself.. "If it's a hoax, it's a very, very cruel hoax to do to Mrs. Johnson," he said. The photo, in which Kendrick Johnsons face is extremely swollen, almost does not look human. We already knew what team you were on. Investigators tested the blood which revealed that it did not belong to Kendrick Johnson. He was just in his socks. A recently-completed investigation found no evidence of a coverup in the 2013 death of Kendrick Johnson, who was found in a rolled-up mat at his Georgia high school. The description of these brothers closely resembled that of Brian and Brandon Bell, who the magazine claimed had killed Kendrick because of a fight they had had over a year earlier which had escalated. Lowndes County Sheriffs Office reopened Kendricks case last March. The recording hasnt yet been made public. The father of the kid who had a motive is allegedly an FBI Agent, with enough pull to supposedly save his son. Were actively hunting for the person that provided it, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk told Oxygen.com. Kendrick Johnson's death made national news, not on the day his body was discovered, but in weeks . Coleman didnt speculate on the speakers identity but emphasized the voice sounded younger in age. He also claimed the tapes unidentified seller, who supposedly sent the Johnsons several texts to orchestrate the purchase, is a white male. A recording that reportedly contains an emotional confession of an individual who may have been involved in the suspicious 2013 death of teenager Kendrick Johnson in Georgia is now being vetted by authorities, police said this week. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Policeand eventually the states attorneysaid he went headfirst into the mat to get a sneaker at the bottom, and that he died from positional asphyxia when he couldnt get out. "[35][36], On March 10, 2021, the case was officially reopened. This is how you roll in Valdosta, the dead teens mother, Jaqueline Johnson, said of the Lowndes County Sheriffs new findings. The lawsuit alleged that the defendants were negligent and violated Johnson's constitutional right to equal protection based on race. Paulk and his team were able to secure a wealth of evidence from federal authorities, in part thanks to an appeal from Johnsons family in November 2020. Kendrick Johnsons shoe laying in the pool of blood. [2] That left a void, which the funeral home filled. Finding Kendrick Johnson is an interesting true crime documentary. Itll be a lot of work, he explained. We aint cheering, but we know this is the only path that we can get for justice for Kendrick Johnson, Marcus Coleman said this week. [31] They were subsequently sued for more than $850,000 in attorney fees[32] and $1,000,000 in defamation damages. The Johnsons hoped for a coroners inquest, which would begin the process ofreclassifying the cause of Kendrick Johnsons death as non-accidental and reopening the investigation. Thats the craziest lie you could have told, Johnson said of Paulks probe. First, no one heard him? I encourage everyone to study ALL the evidence in this file before forming an opinion.. The post Kendrick Johnsons case closed after authorities say no crime found appeared first on TheGrio. A sheriff in Valdosta, Georgia, has concluded that there is no evidence of a crime in the January 2013 death of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson, who was found dead in a rolled-up gym mat at.