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. "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. "[11] Johnson's family questioned this hypothesis. He wrote that the FBI reviewed footage from 62 cameras on campus, and Johnson never crossed paths with the brothers. Seventeen-year-old Kendrick Johnsons body was inexplicably found upside-down in a rolled-up gym mat in 2013. Georgia state law dictates that the coroner be contacted immediately on the discovery of a body, but Watson claimed that he was not notified until six hours later. His family says despite the setback, they are not giving up hope. They purchased this from an individual and he did not give them his true name. According to Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk, If theres questions and theyre legitimate I need to know the answers myself. The sheriff says case closed again but he will reopen it if someone brings him verified new information. : No charges in Kendrick Johnson death, nr Blackwell Kendrick Johnson_00003415.jpg. [20] A forensic analyst enlisted by CNN found that tapes from two cameras are missing an hour and five minutes of footage, while another set was missing two hours and ten minutes of footage. 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. [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. You didnt find nothing in 17 boxes? When rolled up, the mat left a 14-inch hole in diameter in the center. True crime; doubtful solutions - The Boston Globe They do an excellent job digging in to places and topics that authorities seem to avoid, not just in this case but in the others theyve explored as well, like the case of Robert Bee that I wrote about here. Johnson's mother told Channel 2s Tony Thomas . Absolutely, they were extorted.. 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. Investigation into death of Georgia teen found in a rolled-up gym mat 8 years ago will be reopened. 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. [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. We already knew what team you were on. The Johnsons also accused the brothers father, an FBI agent at the time, of covering up the murder by manipulating the school and authorities involved in investigating Johnsons death. [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. 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. You're in for a treat! Months after his death, Lowndes County Sheriffs Office investigators ruled it was an accident and closed the case. 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. The pathologist concluded his death was not an accident. 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. And now, authorities say they have an audio recording of someone admitting to Johnson's death. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Paulk estimated it might take six months to process everything. 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. The Lowndes County Sheriff's. A number of community activists have also spoken out in favor of the forthcoming probe into the Georgia teens death. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. It is a case that has stumped and enraged millions of people around the world. Kendrick Johnson was a sports-loving, ball-playing high school student in Valdosta, Georgia until January 11, 2013, when he was found dead in his schools gymnasium. They were ultimately ordered by a judge to pay close to $300,000 worth of lawyers fees to those they had accused with no evidence. Im going through everything myself, Paulk said. [5], 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. Theres still a lot of questions people want answered," Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk said. 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. [12][16] The funeral home that processed the body following the FBI's autopsy stated that they never received Johnson's internal organs from the coroner; the organs were said to have been "destroyed through natural process" and "discarded by the prosector before the body was sent back to Valdosta," according to the funeral home owner. You are not on the team of righteousness, Jackie Johnson said. Paulk also claimed a camera in the gymnasium which apparently shows Johnson before his death was realigned 13 months earlier. The mat was vertical. I encourage everyone to study ALL the evidence in this file before forming an opinion.. The Suspicious Death of Kendrick Johnson.Plus many more disturbing stories.The stories in this Episodes are shocking and exhibit human behavior at its absolute worst. 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. 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. The request, however, was denied, even though the coroner Bill Watson had originally expressed a lack of confidence in the Sheriff Departments handling of the case. Johnson's family didn't accept the. 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. "Theres still a lot of questions people want answered.". 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 Johnsons civil rights or committed any other prosecutable federal crime, it said in a statement. Johnsons mother told Channel 2s Tony Thomas that shes not surprised by the findings. They purchased this from an individual and he did not give them his true name. [12] The funeral home owner stated that it is standard practice to fill a void in this fashion, and that cotton or sawdust may also be employed for this purpose. Furthermore, a whole hour of footage from the gym was missing, right at the time which would have shed light on what happened that day. The next day, a teacher found his body inside one of the rolled-up wrestling mats. "This week we are trying Kendrick Johnson as the shooter, the organizer and the planner of Delindsey Mack's murder," she told . Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. The lawsuit alleged that the defendants were negligent and violated Johnson's constitutional right to equal protection based on race. The parents asserted that the sons of the FBI agent killed Johnson and used their connections to cover up the investigation. Im going through everything myself, Paulk said,estimatingthat the reopened investigation could last a minimumof six months. Its an active case so the contents of the recording or anything else, were not going to divulge right now, Paulk said. He was never shown within or leaving the gym and indeed, he never did show up for his following classes. 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. [25], In January 2015, Johnson's family filed a $100 million civil lawsuit in the Superior Court of DeKalb County against 38 individuals. But those dreams were cut short when his body was found by students entering the gymnasium rolled up in a standing gym mat. Allegedly they were in an altercation on a school bus prior to Kendricks death. Investigators did not take the hoodie and orange and black gym shoes into evidence. CNNKendrick Johnsons shoe laying in the pool of blood. I encourage everyone to study ALL the evidence in this file before forming an opinion.. However, the coroner said these organs were not sent to the funeral home because they were too decomposed and were instead disposed of beforehand. Eight years ago, classmates at Lowndes High School in Valdosta found 17-year-old Kendrick Johnsons body inside an upright mat. FBI agent, sons countersue parents of Kendrick Johnson, Georgia teen Camera systems were motion-activated, using a change in light pixels to turn recordings on and off. 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.?! And potentially missing videotape? Jury decides verdict in murder trial involving death of Lamar High Police focus on timeline in Kendrick Johnson gym mat death - CBS News He was just in his socks. Though 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson's death was ruled accidental after his body was found inside a gym mat on January 11, 2013, many suspect foul play. Parents' lawsuit in Georgia gym mat death is dismissed. Thing is, he wasn't just found dead. Just after 24 hours of being found, the investigators ruled Johnsons death an accident. No further information was readily provided by law enforcement. He was found dead in a rolled up wresting mat. NBA opens investigation after Ja Morant's social media post '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. 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 amended report stated his cause and manner of death were undetermined. Paulk said it could take up to two weeks before results come back. 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. Attorneys in Atlanta describe widespread delays and disruptions to other cases as the prosecution of Young Thug . Download the FOX 5 Atlanta appfor breaking news and weather alerts. 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. [PHOTOS: Images included in Kendrick Johnson death findings report]. The Johnsons were also sure that their sons body had been moved, which was corroborated by Lowndes County Coroner, Bill Watson. Abducted in Plain Sight 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. The case was closed almost half a decade ago due to insufficient evidence of foul play, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Kendrick Johnsons body rolled up inside the gym mat with his shoes behind his knees. We provide you with a list of the top 15 best true crime documentaries that every true crime fan will thoroughly enjoy. We dont know whether its credible or not, hesaid. 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. Eight years ago, classmates at Lowndes High School in Valdosta found 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson's body inside an upright mat. Furthermore, a second autopsy showed non-accidental blunt force trauma to the back of the neck. Finally, in March 2021, authorities reopened their investigation into Kendrick Johnsons death. Verifying the tapes authenticity is indispensable, he added. The sheriff released a 16-page summary of his investigation on Wednesday including pictures from the Lowndes County gym. Young Thug Trial: Court Slowdowns, Prosecution Delays - Rolling Stone 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. High-traffic streets like Norman Drive in. "Eight long years the crying, the tears, the backlash, being talked about, ridiculed it has not been easy," Johnson added. Investigators, who suspected hed become trapped after attempting to grab a pair of sneakers, ruled his deatha freak accident. You do not believe there was anything criminal? Thomas asked Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk. As a result of this new evidence, Matthew Moore, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announced a formal review of the case. "If it's a hoax, it's a very, very cruel hoax to do to Mrs. Johnson," he said. 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. [21] Other missing footage was the result of the camera's motion-activated function not being triggered. News of the re-opened investigation was welcomed by Johnson's family. He was a three-sport athlete and dreamed of playing professional football. The teens parents say they are not convinced. 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. Johnsons parents have said they think their son was killed. However, Johnsons parents say classmates killed their son and law enforcement and school officials covered up the crime. The late teen's parents, Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson, filed the lawsuit in January, claiming their son was the victim of foul play. On June 22, 2018, Johnson's body was exhumed.[19]. Listen Now Episode Info Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! We have not had faith in Lowndes County. You are not on the team of righteousness., The family is raising $400,000 to benefit the Kendrick Johnson Foundations mission to raise awareness on the need for increased supervision and safety within our public schools. In their GoFundMe page post, Johnson writes, On January 10, 2013, Kendricks life was tragically cut short when he was discovered dead in a rolled-up gym mat, under highly suspicious circumstances., A subsequent autopsy conducted by our forensic pathologist subsequently confirmed our worst nightmare that our sons death was no accident, she continues. The Johnson family spoke Thursday in front of the sheriffs department, criticizing the report released Wednesday. 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. Johnson was the main "sniper" for the 103 gang, Seely said. Tweet. His mother posted on her Facebook: No mother or father should ever have to bury their child under these circumstances. The, death was ultimately ruled accidental and amedical examiner concluded the teen died from, nearly five years ago due to "insufficient evidence", Were actively hunting for the person that provided it, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk told, . appreciated. Required fields are marked *. Johnson's head was pointed toward the floor in the. R.I.P Kendrick Johnson Facebook PageKendrick Johnsons casket was unearthed for a second time for a third autopsy.
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