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. Paulk wrote that he reviewed 17 boxes of files from the FBI, Department of Justice, and local authorities while revisiting this case. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. On January 11, 2013, the body of Kendrick Johnson (October 10, 1995 January 10, 2013) was discovered inside a vertical rolled-up mat in the gymnasium of Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia, United States, where he was a student. Lowndes County police said they believed Kendrick crawled into the mat to retrieve his shoes, became stuck, and continued to burrow into the mat until he became completely trapped and died. However, these things really happen in the world. 1 of 2. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. FacebookKendrick Johnson with his mother. We already knew what team you were on. 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. They also reported that the blood had likely been there for a long time. He said the camera needed to be adjusted after a basketball hit it. We have buried kj 3 times and it felt like 3 funerals and i lost him 3 times.. 2023 Cox Media Group. All things mysterious, murderous, and macabre. Johnsons family, however, said they areconfident the 25-second audio clip is authentic and that it could lead to criminal charges in the case. 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? Johnson's family filed a $100 million civil lawsuit against 38 individuals, stating that his death was a murder and that the respondents were participants in a conspiracy to cover up the homicide, which they claimed involved two sons of an FBI agent. I do find it disturbing and unethical that this investigation seemed to turn into a witch hunt after the FBI told the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia that they had found nothing criminal, and they consequently were closing the case, Paulk wrote in the synopsis. All that could be seen from the cameras was Kendrick Johnson walking towards the gym, and then several seconds of footage of him jogging within the gym. There are no suspects because we havent made a determination as to whether or not this was murder, Paulk added. Paulk said his review of the extensive FBI investigation, 17 boxes worth of evidence and his own look at the 2013 death of Johnson has come to the same conclusion. I made a promise to the people Id go through every piece of [evidence].. According to CNN, funeral director Antonio Harrington claimed the 17-year-olds organs were destroyed through [the] natural process due to the position of his body when he died. "[11] Johnson's family questioned this hypothesis. "[35][36], On March 10, 2021, the case was officially reopened. [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. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. 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. The Johnsons were extorted out of $1,000 for a tape that contains an individual admitting to their involvement, he alleged. Body Parts Are Missing: Newly-Released Footage of Kendrick Johnsons Last Moments, the Latest in Troubling Death Investigation, Rick Bell, was an FBI special agent who ultimately resigned, Johnsons organs were returned to his body following the autopsy, subscribe to the Crime Stories with Nancy Grace podcast. First, no one heard him? Tuesday marks 10 years since Kendrick died. In their lawsuit, the parents of the accused boys assert that their sons were not involved in the death, are not considered suspects, and have been harassed as a result of the publication. In November 2013, 290 hours of surveillance tape from 35 cameras that covered the gym area were released to CNN following a court request. A second local investigation into the 2013 death of Kendrick Johnson, the Georgia teenager who was found dead in a rolled-up gym mat, has been closed with no charges filed, according to a report . Authorities say they are working to verify an audio recording of someone admitting to Kendrick Johnson's death. Despite these resignations, the Department of Justice investigation continued. The mat was vertical. He was never shown within or leaving the gym and indeed, he never did show up for his following classes. I really hope that he . Kendrick Johnson was a 17-year-old student at Lowndes County High School. The recording hasnt yet been made public. His mother posted on her Facebook: No mother or father should ever have to bury their child under these circumstances. When rolled up, the mat left a 14-inch hole in diameter in the center. Now, positional asphyxia is a legitimate cause of death. His sneakers were shoved behind his knees. State medical examiners concluded that. Abducted in Plain Sight Take a look at the list below for all the gory details! The Johnson family spoke Thursday in front of the sheriffs department, criticizing the report released Wednesday. That material included grand jury testimony, results from an autopsy conducted by federal authorities and additional digital evidence. The lawsuit alleged that the defendants were negligent and violated Johnson's constitutional right to equal protection based on race. It's a shame we can't spend more time making fun of Perkins using his own experience in stat-padding to prove its existence, citing an obviously cherry-picked stat (MVP Magic Johnson finished 18th . The Lowndes County Sheriff's. Download theGrio today! However, Paulk claimed a woman with the Department of Justice and a man performing the autopsies had developed a close relationship with at one point, the woman saying in an email, I had to make him feel like a man so that he would be open to talking.. 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.. [21] The area where Johnson's body was discovered, where the gym mats were stored, was outside the range of all of the surveillance cameras. You do not believe there was anything criminal? reporter Tony Thomas asked Paulk. [22], Johnson's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Lowndes County Board of Education, its superintendent and the principal of Lowndes High School. 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. And now, authorities say they have an audio recording of someone admitting to Johnson's death. You didnt find nothing in 17 boxes? Finding Kendrick Johnson is an interesting true crime documentary. 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. The group is. . All rights reserved, Privacy Policy|Online Content Agreement, Third Autopsy shows Kendrick Johnson Suffered blunt Force Trauma, Positional Asphyxia: Death due to Unusual Head-Down Position in a Narrow Space, Kendrick Johnson lawsuit: Feds want attorneys to stop collecting evidence, Parents of Georgia teen found dead in gym mate rally for inquiry, National civil right attorney no longer involved in Kenrick Johnson case, Kendrick Johnson family hold rally after filing complaint about missing organs, No wrong doing detected in Kendrick Johnson funeral home probe, Kendrick Johnson footage released; expert find it highly suspicious, KJ family drops $100 million wrongful death suit, Local, federal investigations into gym mat death continue. 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. His mother posted on her Facebook: No mother or father should ever have to bury their child under these circumstances. In 2015, the Johnson familyfiled a wrongful death lawsuit against siblings Brian and Branden Bell, and another student, Ryan Hall, who they have said they suspect are to blame in the teenager'sdeath. CNN A second local investigation into the 2013 death of Kendrick Johnson, the Georgia teenager who was found dead in a rolled-up gym mat, has been closed with no charges filed, according to. . It includes photographs from the schools gymnasium. He was found dead in a rolled up wresting mat. On January 11, 2013, the body of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson was found in the most unusual of circumstances: upside-down and rolled up in a school gym mat. TheLowndes County Sheriffs Office reopened Kendricks case last March. Unsatisfied with the result of the investigation, they hired an independent autopsy conducted by William R. Anderson with Forensic Dimensions in Heathrow, Florida, on June 15, 2013. The Johnsons did try to sue the funeral home for mishandling their sons body, and perhaps having done so in order to cover up his true cause of death, but this case was dropped. Kendrick Johnson's death made national news, not on the day his body was discovered, but in weeks . Adding to the confusion is the fact that in October 2013, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation told CBS thatJohnsons organs were returned to his body following the autopsy, as per protocol. We already knew what team you were on. 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. VALDOSTA, Ga. - The brothers accused in a civil suit of killing Kendrick Johnson, the Georgia teen found dead inside a rolled-up gym mat in his high school two years ago, are suing Johnson's . News of the re-openedinvestigation was welcomed by Johnsons family. 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. Georgia Judge Richard Porter ordered the Johnsons and their attorney to pay more than $292,000 in legal fees to the defendants, accusing them of fabricating evidence to support their claims. They purchased this from an individual and he did not give them his true name. As he was upside down, blood would have rushed to Johnsons head and he eventually would have begun to bleed from his facial orifices. "We ain't cheering, but we know this is the only path that we can get for justice for Kendrick Johnson," Marcus Coleman said this week. On June 22, 2018, Johnson's body was exhumed.[19]. Kendrick Johnsons body has been exhumed twice in recent years. This is how you roll in Valdosta, Jackie Johnson said. Though Paulk said the investigation may take up to six months, both he and the Johnson family are optimistic that justice will finally be served. [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. 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. Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson stand next to a banner on their SUV showing their late son Kendrick, in Valdosta, Ga., in December 2013. [11] Some of the apparent lapses in coverage were found to result from camera systems that were not synchronized with one another. [6] That lawsuit was subsequently withdrawn. Johnson's mother told Channel 2s Tony Thomas . Kendrick Johnson (Part 1) Crime Weekly. The case was closed almost half a decade ago due to insufficient evidence of foul play, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) claimed that when the body was sent to the funeral home after the first autopsy, Johnsons organs had been put back inside the body. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Over the years, the Johnsons have publicly implicated brothers Brian and Branden Bell in Kendricks death. [2][13], After the opinion of the private pathologist was released, Johnson's family stated that they believed Johnson had been murdered. They believed that the Sheriffs Department wastoo quick to rule out foul play as a cause for Johnsons death, considering that within 24 hours of finding Kendrick Johnsons body, they concluded that it was an accident. Johnson, 17, was found dead in Lowndes High School's gymnasium in January 2013. The case was. Nobody wants Kendrick to get justice. The Lowndes County Sheriff's Office reopened Kendrick's case last March. Kendrick was found dead in a gym mat in 2013. Just after 24 hours of being found, the investigators ruled Johnsons death an accident. estimatingthat the reopened investigation could last a minimumof six months. In the latest report, Paulk dispelled rumors that Johnson and the Bell brothers had any contact on the day Johnson died. R.I.P Kendrick Johnson Facebook PageKendrick Johnsons casket was unearthed for a second time for a third autopsy. I wont deem it credible until I can look at the source, find out where [he] got it from.. appreciated. CNN gained access to the schools security footage on the day that Kendrick Johnson was killed, but upon viewing it, realized that it offered little insight into what happened that day. (@tomjones161 via twitter) The Lowndes County Sheriff's Office is insisting. [7][8][9][10], On January 11, 2013, the body of Kendrick Johnson was discovered in the gymnasium of Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia, found headfirst in the center of a vertical rolled-up wrestling mat. 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 mat was vertical. The suit alleges the boys family conspired with former Lowndes County Sheriff Chris Prine and county school officials to cover up the death. For years, however, the teenagers family has insisted the 17-year-old was murdered and that investigators actively worked to stifle the familys pleas for justice. A Warner Bros. Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk told WSB-TV his office reviewed the FBIs findings, as well as 17 boxes of evidence, and reached that decision. VALDOSTA, Ga. - A Georgia sheriff says his office has received new information in the death investigation ofa Valdosta teenager whose body was found at school inside a rolled-up gym mat. But Johnsons parents would still not give up. On Jan. 11, 2013, the body of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson, a popular student and promising athlete at Lowndes High School, in Valdosta, Ga., was found rolled up upside down in a . "Nobody really cares, Jackie Johnson, the teenagers mother, WAGA-TV. In 2013, Johnsons body was found rolled up in a mat inside a Valdosta-area high school gymnasium. On October 31, 2013, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia announced that his office would open a formal review into Johnson's death. Local authorities investigation has found, once again, that Johnson may have reached into the mat to retrieve a shoe, got stuck, then suffocated. Eventually, after a November 2020 visit by the Johnson family with federal investigators, that request was granted and the Justice Department turned over its investigative material to the sheriffs office. We have not had faith in Lowndes County. The U.S. Attorney said allowing evidence discovery in the civil suit to continue would have a "chilling effect" on the federal investigation, which had expanded into investigating possible obstruction and grand jury witness tampering. 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.. Do not believe anything that this sheriffs department tells you, Kenneth Johnson said. The YSL Case Is Stretching Fulton County's Justice System to Its Breaking Point. This time, the autopsy revealed that Kendrick Johnson had suffered hemorrhaging on the right side of his neck, which meant that he likely died from blunt force trauma. Crime Junkie did the same thing. [40], "Kendrick Johnson" redirects here. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Georgia was recused from the investigation many years ago.. The individual in question could face extortion charges if the recording is phony,Paulk said. [23] It alleged that Johnson was attacked on a bus trip 14 months prior to his death. NY Daily News/Valdosta/Lowndes Regional Crime Labratory via CNNKendrick Johnsons body rolled up inside the gym mat with his shoes behind his knees. Parents' lawsuit in Georgia gym mat death is dismissed. Paulk said it could take up to two weeks before results come back. Were actively hunting for the person that provided it, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk told Oxygen.com. They soon discover that not only is something wrong, but things go much deeper than they ever imagined. For the sake of his family, I hope that the case of Kendrick Johnson can be closed in a way that provides closure. In a statement to CNN, the US Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Georgia said, the final conclusion in the Kendrick Johnson investigation was reached and announced in 2016 by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Ohio (USAO NDOH), which handled the matter. [17] A spokesperson for the Secretary of State said that the investigation found that the funeral home "didn't violate any rules. 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. Investigators did not take the hoodie and orange and black gym shoes into evidence. The only way Im going to know is to look at the evidence myself.. of foul play, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The sheriff described the re-examination into Kendrick Johnsons death as afinal effort to bring some closure to the teens family. Seventeen-year-old Kendrick Johnsons body was inexplicably found upside-down in a rolled-up gym mat in 2013. In the recently-released report, Paulk scrutinized an amended report that was released two years after the Office of Armed Forces Medical Examiner found in August 2014 that Johnson died of positional asphyxia and listed his death as accidental. Johnsons shoulders measured 19 across and he was five feet, ten inches tall. Wikimedia CommonsSeventeen-year-old Kendrick Johnsons body was inexplicably found upside-down in a rolled-up gym mat in 2013. "[18] The Johnson family subsequently filed a civil lawsuit against the funeral home, seeking monetary damages. Pure evil. Im going through everything myself, Paulk said. For the American professional basketball player, see, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, "Lowdes County Incident Report K. Johnson", "Gym mat death: Attorneys call for surveillance video", "Kendrick Johnson Lowndes County High School gym mat death: Lawyers ask for surveillance video", "Gym Mat Death Shocker: Body Stuffed With Newspaper", "Federal prosecutor will look into Kendrick Johnson case", "FBI agent, sons countersue parents of Ga. teen found dead in gym mat", "Defendants Seek Attorney Fees in Dismissed Kendrick Johnson Case", "Kendrick Johnson suit: Feds want to stop evidence collection", "Third autopsy claims foul play in Valdosta gym mat death case", "Kendrick Johnson's parents still searching for answers to their son's death", "Parents of Georgia teen found dead in gym mat rally for inquiry", "Kendrick Johnson investigation: Feds will not file charges", "Who Killed K.J.?! [38] The sheriff also stated he does not consider the case to be a homicide. I encourage everyone to study ALL the evidence in this file before forming an opinion.. "[23], In August 2014, a $5 million lawsuit against Ebony magazine was filed, after the magazine published a series of articles naming two students as possible suspects in Johnson's death. Updated Investigators concluded he died in a freak accident. [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. The father of the kid who had a motive is allegedly an FBI Agent, with enough pull to supposedly save his son. The Valdosta County Sheriff offered half a million dollars of his own money in response to the negative outcry about a recent report released . That students father is a retired FBI agent. Johnsons mother told Channel 2s Tony Thomas that shes not surprised by the findings. The findings of the second autopsy, that Johnsons death was not accidental and caused by blunt force trauma likely due to being struck in the neck with a 45lb dumbbell, were confirmed. A number of community activists have also spoken out in favor of the forthcoming probe into the Georgia teens death. Furthermore, Johnsons parents argued, if this was an accident, how could no one have heard Kendrick call for help in a high school of over 3,000 students? Top 15 Best True Crime Documentaries To Watch 1. In 2013, Johnsons body was found rolled up in a mat inside a Valdosta-area high school gymnasium. The emotions are reflective of one someone who has a burden like hell on their shoulders.. As far as the feds were concerned, the case was officially and finally closed. 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. [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. He died on January 10 in the school's gym. Kendrick Johnson with his mother and father, Kenneth and Jackie Johnson (The Johnson Family). It seemed possible that if Kendrick was trying to squeeze into the center of the mat, he could have scrunched his shoulders together to make himself narrower. They wont publicly say what that new info is. Did you encounter any technical issues? Lowndes County is in southern Georgia. 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 Lowndes High School. But those dreams were cut short when his body was found by students entering the gymnasium rolled up in a standing gym mat. [12] The family retained the services of attorney Benjamin Crump. News of the re-opened investigation was welcomed by Johnson's family. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. The FBI had previously said the siblings were in separate parts of the Valdosta-area high school at the time of Johnsons death. Absolutely, they were extorted.. "This week we are trying Kendrick Johnson as the shooter, the organizer and the planner of Delindsey Mack's murder," she told . After Johnson's body was found in the upright, rolled up wrestling mat at Valdosta High School in January, state medical examiners ruled his death accidental. The dead teens mother, Jaqueline Johnson, told the TV station she is not surprised by the sheriffs findings. The Grizzlies played in Denver on Friday night and are scheduled to fly to Los Angeles on Saturday . The sheriff at the center of the Kendrick Johnson death case says his department has gone through the evidence extensively and found no crime. The next day, a teacher found his body inside one of the rolled-up wrestling mats. [6] That lawsuit was subsequently withdrawn. NY Daily News/Valdosta/Lowndes Regional Crime Labratory via CNN. But Johnsons parents felt that his death was not being taken seriously, in part because of his race, or because a larger cover-up was at play. Meet The Damselfly, Your New Favorite Insect, Man Who Had Part Of His Brain Removed To Cure Him Of Seizures Says He No Longer Feels Fear, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. In June 2018, Kendrick Johnsons body was exhumed for a second time and a third autopsy was performed. Discovery Company. You cant do an investigation with the same investigators who covered it up. His parents believe Kendrick was murdered. The lawsuit further alleged that another student, Brian Bell, "had a history of provoking and attacking" Johnson at school, stating that the provocations took place "in the presence of the coaching staff and employees" after his mother complained about previous attacks. Then, read about the horrifying murder of Emmett Till. [25], In January 2015, Johnson's family filed a $100 million civil lawsuit in the Superior Court of DeKalb County against 38 individuals. The sheriff says case closed again but he will reopen it if someone brings him verified new information. A second local investigation into the 2013 death of Kendrick Johnson, the Georgia teenager who was found dead in a rolled-up gym mat, has been closed with no charges filed, according to a report released by Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk. The sheriff said he spent 15 months reading every page in that file, but found that they did not show any criminal action whatsoever.. However, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk announced the re-opening of the case on Tuesday. Wrongful death, Kendrick Johnson's family vs. Lowndes County Board of Education and school officials. Furthermore, a second autopsy showed non-accidental blunt force trauma to the back of the neck. We know that.. I encourage everyone to study ALL the evidence in this file before forming an opinion.. CNN has not independently inspected all the evidence that the sheriff reviewed. Kendrick Johnsons shoe laying in the pool of blood. 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. The Bell family has previously deflected blame in the incident; now, Karen Bell says she's upset by the renewed investigative efforts. 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 . Kendrick Johnson's body was found in a rolled-up gym mat in January. We have a good picture of him and a pretty good description. 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. 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. Investigators ruled it an accident but his family and other people nationwide believe he was murdered. [12], A subsequent investigation by the Georgia Secretary of State's office found that the funeral home did not follow "best practice" and that other material was "more acceptable than newspaper." When the judge in that case delayed a decision, pending the outcome of the U.S. Attorney's review, the family demanded that the governor of Georgia immediately authorize the inquiry instead. "[26] After Moore resigned in 2015,[27] the case was transferred to the Northern District of Ohio under U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach. Kendrick Johnsons parents released a photo to the media of their sons face as he lay in the funeral home. Although no charges were ever brought to light, and his death was ruled accidental.. [26], Shortly before the lawsuit was filed, U.S. Attorney Michael J. Moore said in a statement that a federal investigation was still open and that "the investigation has proven more complicated and taken longer than originally anticipated.
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