He might as well offer $5 million or even $5 billion. Still from documentary . In Kendrick Johnson case, a false confession leads to familiar - ajc I will fight as long as I have to, to uncover what happened to Kendrick Johnson.. He was located in the left corner of the gym, in a rolled-up mat that was lying against a wall. Its all about equal justice under the law which clearly this case was not. This is the first time I read about blunt force trauma. A Warner Bros. No matter how the people try to make your child the villain, your child is still the victim, Jacquelyn said. Anytime you know something in your heart, continue to push, dont ever let nobody stop you from fighting for your child because your child matters. His case was closed almost five years ago after federal investigators determined there was 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, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Kendrick Johnson death investigation will be reopened, Georgia - CNN 'Body Parts Are Missing': Newly-Released Footage of Kendrick Johnson's Last week, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk released a finding saying there was no homicide, no coverup, no conspiracy in the January 2013 death of the teen. William R. Anderson, a doctor hired by Johnson's family, conducted the second autopsy in June 2013 after his body was exhumed. His Adoptive Mother, Who Pleaded for His Safe Return, Was Just Charged, 2 Killed in Suspected Rash of Druggings and Robberies in N.Y.C. $980,000 clubhouse for Putney Park set for a vote. The next day, he was found dead, his body rolled up in a wrestling mat that was standing upright in a corner of the school gym with his sock-covered feet sticking out of the top. TCR: Do you consider yourself a whistleblower in exposing the failures of law enforcementin this investigation? School video cameras and other evidence showed Johnson entering the gym at the same time one Bell brother was on the other side of the sprawling school and another was on a school bus headed to Macon. In September 2018, Anderson added an addendum to his report to include "blunt force trauma, right thorax" after the body was exhumed a second time. MITCH CREDLE: This is the first time Ive ever experienced any type of homicide investigation that was done this way. JASON POLLOCK: It all started in Ferguson [Missouri], right after Mike Brown was killed. Advertise to our national and international criminal justice audience at The Crime Report and support our mission. On January 10, 2013, Kendrick Johnson, a Black 17-year-old junior at the Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Ga., didn't return home from school. An autopsy conducted by a pathologist who was hired by Johnsons family determined that the cause of death was unexplained, apparent non-accidental, blunt-force trauma to the neck. Theyre not going to uncover something that they covered up., Kendrick Johnson investigation: Feds will not file charges, I am quite sure that there will still be a contingent that will believe there was foul play, the sheriff wrote in the report. That was unbelievable to me, but I guess down there things work a little differently because, if he had been in D.C., he would most definitely have been charged. I have things from the Kendrick Johnson case, important things that nobody else is aware of. Georgia Sheriff Reopens Case Into Teenager Found Dead in a Gym Mat That one determined the cause of death as blunt force trauma. In that autopsy, the pathologist discovered Johnsons organs were missing, removed during the first. TCR: Now that the case has been reopened, what do you think the next steps should be inthe investigation? His parents asked why the autopsy report did not mention bruising to their sons chin that responding paramedics put in their initial report. Kendrick Johnson's body was found upside down in a rolled-up wrestling mat at Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Ga., on Jan. 11, 2013. Kendrick Johnson playred football at Lowndes High School. The Armed Forces Medical Examiner did the final autopsy and in an August 2014 report listed the death as positional asphyxia and the manner accidental. You cant do an investigation with the same investigators who covered it up. Anyone we interviewed didnt see us for a whole month after that. His parents, however, felt he was killed. When it came time to narrate the film, he turned to singer and actress Jenifer Lewis. An autopsy by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) ruled Kendricks cause of death as "accidental, positional asphyxia." How the body was found. That suit fell apart and a judge ordered the Johnsons and King to pay $292,000 to cover the attorney fees of those accused. New video in gym-mat death released - YouTube The body of Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found upside-down in a large mat in his high school gym in 2013. And earlier we had heard that same kid call another one of his classmates n****r. That word came off his tongue like it was just a regular sentence. Law enforcement at any level is not supposed to interfere with an investigation and, as an FBI agent, he should have known better. We have not had faith in Lowndes County. I do believe he was found with his organs intact; taken out during the first autopsy. I felt embarrassed. The issues I speak of have left me holding the bag in numerous instances. What Happened to Kendrick Johnson? - The Crime Report Using state evidence gathered from a four-year undercover investigation, as well as interviews with Mitch Credle, a homicide detective assigned to the initial 2013 federal criminal civil rights investigation launched by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Georgia, the film reveals a case riddled with errors, and hampered by conspiracy and obstruction in law enforcement that included the FBI. The Johnsons also publicized their sons face after death a comparison the documentary hammered home. Justice Department Closes Investigation Into The Death Of Kendrick Johnson Authorities said he suffocated after falling into the mat while trying to retrieve a shoe.. Then, he said, he and two other investigators pored through the case for 13 months before coming to his conclusions last month. This is a random case where theFBI messed up. Before his death, Johnson had gotten into an altercation with the student's brother. Kendrick Johnson Death: Missing organs are reason to suspect foul play Paulk, the sheriff, could not immediately be reached for a response Thursday. He worked on the film for four years, going to Valdosta, Ga., without alerting officials. In a section of the report addressing the missing viscera, or internal organs, Paulk wrote that the viscera were in the body when it was taken to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for the initial autopsy and that the "only plausible explanation would be that the viscera were disposed of by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation because of their advanced decomposition.". Updated POLLOCK:I think that it is very important in our journalism and art culture that we have the op-ed and I did not feel that it was necessary to interview white people in Valdosta about this story, because there were already eight years of records of what they thought about it. Anderson concluded Johnson died from unexplained, apparent non-accidental, blunt force trauma to the right neck and soft tissues, CNN reported. But during a second autopsy, a private pathologist discovered Johnson's organs were missing and newspaper was used to replace them. Everyone should be treated the same, whether its a rich white kid or a kid like Kendrick. It was unprofessional and they dropped the ball. Thats not the way a proper investigation goes. Press Esc to cancel. State and local officials ruled that Kendrick suffocated after purportedly reaching for a pair of sneakers inside the mat and getting stuck. Local and state investigators determined the death was an. Paulk called the teenagers death a weird accident, telling CNN, there is nothing to substantiate a homicide.. or. In response to the claims it may be a hoax, Coleman says it was not a pieced-together recording, and the validity of the tape needs to be identified. Finding Kendrick Johnson (2021) - IMDb The fascinating story of Anthony Johnson, the black man who was the first to own a slave in the U.S. After falling off his billionaire status, Kanye Wests net worth surges back to $400 million, His body was exhumed twice for a third autopsy, Kendrick, Museum built on Congo human zoo site to be reopened as, Accidental "Sheroes": 3 African Women Who Risked Their Lives, Two men to receive $900k for being wrongfully incarcerated for nearly 17 years, Mother and 9-year-old daughter killed with axe in their New Jersey home, Ghanaian rapper sues Drake for $10m over copyright infringement, Amber Batchelor is the first black CEO of Georgias Chamber of Commerce, No one wanted to produce for me back then: Tems speaks about her music career, Meet Arunma Oteh, the former vice president and first black treasurer of the World Bank, Bryant Gumbel is the first black journalist to earn Sports Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award, How Nigerian tech guru Fope Davies earned $340k from building custom PCs, America honors legendary soul singer Gladys Knight with national medal of art. Kendrick Johnson: Death scene photos suggest athlete may have been Lowndes County reopens Kendrick Johnson case - WTXL During the interview, my partner and I were very assertive, we were very professional, we were very thorough, but we were also somewhat aggressive. About See All. The documentary is available for rent or purchase on iTunes, Netflix, Google Play and elsewhere. Teens at center of Kendrick Johnson investigation deny involvement KJ Johnson is everybody's child.". Possible new evidence presented in Kendrick Johnson case - WALB Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 2:24 PM EST, Thu January 27, 2022, Justice Dept. The files included material from the Justice Department, the FBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. attorneys office for Middle Georgiaand several other law enforcement agencies. The Johnson family spokesperson said the audio was recorded secretly and sold to the family, by who they describe as an alleged family member, for $1,000. On January 11th, 2013, Kendrick Johnson was found dead in his high school gymnasium rolled up in a gym mat. POLLOCK: Its worse than avoidance. All of the evidence, testimony, interviews, grand jury testimony and even the blatant coercion and intimidation of some persons being questioned does not produce anything to prove any criminal act by anyone that would have resulted in the death of KJ, he wrote. Even bad people have consciousness, said Paulk. There are few starker example than Kendrick Johnson, an African American teenager found dead inside a rolled-up gym mat at his high school gymnasium in 2013. I will fight as long as I have to uncover what exactly happened to Kendrick Johnson, said his father, Kenneth Johnson, wearing a T-shirt that read: "Kendrick Johnson didnt roll himself up into no mat.. Johnson's body was head-down in a rolled-up mat that was positioned vertically. Pollock tells PEOPLE he was looking for a new subject following the release of his previous documentaries about Ferguson and the death of Mike Brown. Like when you say that shouldnt have happened to Kendrick, youre exactly right. I encourage everyone to study ALL the evidence in this file before forming an opinion," wrote Paulk, who was not sheriff when Johnson died. We have authenticated on our end a 25-second audio clip. Is 'Finding Kendrick Johnson' on Netflix? Where to Watch the - Decider For years, Jacquelyn and her family fought for answers that never came. Updated: 12:46 AM EST March 10, 2021 JACKSONVILLE, Fla The Lowndes County Sheriff's Office announced Friday that it has reopened the investigation into the death of Kendrick Johnson, whose. Lowndes County is in southern Georgia. That initial investigation concluded that Johnson accidentally slipped into the center of the mat while reaching for a shoe and got stuck. The first autopsy performed on Johnson by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) concluded he died of positional asphyxia and his death was ruled as accidental by the Lowndes County Sheriffs Office. Johnsons parents have said they think their son was killed. And it was a big disappointment that we couldnt at least go after an agent who was obstructing justice and, as a result, improving the federal agency as a whole. Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found dead in a mat at Lowndes High School in 2013. Contact KENDRICK JOHNSON MEMORIAL on Messenger. Then, looking into the story and seeing how truly unbelievable it was, how it had been almostcompletely dropped by the media, and how nobody seemed to care about it, after speaking withthe family and getting their permission we decided that what I did with the Mike Brown casereally needed to be done for Kendricks case. To learn more about the case, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE on newsstands now. Any time you have the inexplicable death of a young man and there are conflicting reports out there, it is the job of law enforcement to look into those things.. Forgot account? CREDLE:During the investigation, we were deputized with federal powers and jurisdiction to do anything and everything we had to do from a law enforcement perspective. The sheriff said verifying the voice and authenticating the recording is doable, and they have equipment that will help. Do not believe anything that this sheriffs department tells you, Kenneth Johnson said. But his parents, Jackie and Kenneth Johnson never believed that. An autopsy conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined the cause of Johnsons death was accidental positional asphyxia. This death does intrigue me. The independent autopsy performed by Anderson also found that Johnsons brain, heart, lungs, liver and other organs were gone, while his parents also discovered his body was stuffed with newspapers prior to his burial. The family believes and Paulk confirmed the recording may possibly be of someone already questioned in the investigation. But, they say for the first time in eight years, they have hope for justice. "In closing, I am quite sure that there will still be a contingent that will believe there was foul play. OPINION: Kendrick Johnson case solved but conspiracies never die - ajc The body of Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found Jan. 11 in South Georgia. $980,000 clubhouse for Putney Park set for a vote, The Kendrick Johnson Case: A timeline of events in the case. This account was about 21 hours after he was last seen alive. The film is narrated by actress Jenifer Lewis, whose mellifluous and recognizable voice is known to fans of Black-ish.. Investigation into Georgia teen found dead in gym mat is closed without A recent documentary, Finding Kendrick Johnson, narrated by the actress who plays the grandmother in the hit series Black-ish, mines that vein and digs deep into conspiracy and the horror of lynching. Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found dead in a mat at Lowndes High School in 2013. He came across the story of Kendrick and decided to dig deeper. The case of Kendrick Johnson tragedy becomes a travesty, YSL case: Lawyer pens court-ordered essay. I told them I would also look at it, but I think there are people who would do some really cruel things and I hope its not a scam, Sheriff Ashley Paulk said. 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. That organization has been engaged in a planned and coordinated attack againstBlack civil rights since the very beginningthat history is directly connected to Kendricks case. A South Georgia sheriff is putting up a $500,000 reward of his own cash for information leading to the conviction of anyone who killed Kendrick Johnson, the high school student found dead . On January 10, 2013, Kendrick Johnson, a Black 17-year-old junior at the Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Ga., didnt return home from school. "There's no conspiracy theories in the film," he tells PEOPLE. An investigation into the death of Kendrick Johnson, the Georgia teenager found dead in a rolled-up gym mat eight years ago, has been reopened, according to Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk.. What kind ofresponse are you hoping for by revealing that history? After all, this is the South. Krista Monkon Scribd. So many people in the South cant even admit the [regions] connection to slavery. And the issue can be summed up by one of my initial interviews of a 17-year old kid regarding this case. My desk drawer is bulging with cases Ive solved. A coach placed the mat in a horizontal position, exposing the upper half of the torso," according to the sheriff's report. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. In the new documentary Finding Kendrick Johnson, released online in August and now set to screen in U.S. theaters October 25th, writer-director-producer Jason Pollock, acclaimed for his 2014 documentary Stranger Fruit, on the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., tries to get us closer to an answer. I saw allthe horrendous images she was sharing of him and I was traumatized by what I saw. Kendrick Johnson 's body was found in a wrestling mat Jan. 11, 2013, in the Lowndes High School gym in Valdosta, Georgia. K.J.s mother, Jackie Johnson says these documents, the autopsy, affidavits among other findings have been passed on to the Lowndes County Sheriffs Office, and is hoping to get the case re-opened. Almost a decade after Georgia investigators concluded 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson's death in his school's gymnasium was a freak accident, authorities have reopened the case and are looking into potential new evidence that includes a possible recorded confession. As a result, they got a court order to exhume Kendrick's body and paid for an independent autopsy, which concluded that his cause of death was blunt force trauma to the right neck and soft tissues, and suggested his death was not accidental. We handed over what we believe is a Caucasian male stating his involvement," Coleman said.