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. Looking for interesting and mysterious true crime documentaries? 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 . Do not believe anything that this sheriffs department tells you, Kenneth Johnson said. Paulks 16-page report, which was released Wednesday and published on Scribd, is divided into nine categories, including conspiring/cover, shoe storage in wresting mats, a fight that occurred on a bus trip among the wrestling team of which Johnson was a member, the teens autopsy and observations after the discovery of his body. Attorney. 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. 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. 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. 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. Were actively hunting for the person that provided it, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk told Oxygen.com. 2023 Cable News Network. [PHOTOS: Images included in Kendrick Johnson death findings report]. Parents' lawsuit in Georgia gym mat death is dismissed. His sneakers were shoved behind his knees. Did you encounter any technical issues? [Featured image: Kendrick Johnson/Contributed], Life Without Parole: Convicted Kidnappers of Slain Toddler Kamille McKinney Sentenced, Squatter Charged With Murder of Missing Teen Farmer Dylan Rounds, Teen Who Rapped About Shooting Rival Gang Member in Back Charged with Murder. 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. The pathologist concluded his death was not an accident. Tuesday marks 10 years since Kendrick died. You want to go on the top of a mountain and scream, Look, people, the evidence is there, Karen Bell added. [1][2][3][4] After a preliminary investigation and autopsy concluded that Johnson's death was accidental, his family had a private pathologist conduct a second autopsy which concluded that he died from blunt force trauma. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I made a promise to the people Id go through every piece of [evidence].. [17] A spokesperson for the Secretary of State said that the investigation found that the funeral home "didn't violate any rules. "[26] After Moore resigned in 2015,[27] the case was transferred to the Northern District of Ohio under U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach. Paulk, who was not part of the sheriffs office at the time of Johnsons death, requested the evidence gathered during the federal probe in April 2019 as part of his re-examination of the case, but federal investigators initially declined his request. 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. 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. 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.. I do not, he replied. [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." On June 20, 2016, the Department of Justice announced that it would not be filing any criminal charges related to Johnson's death. [12], The independent autopsy found that some time after Johnson's body was recovered from the mat and had passed through a funeral home, it had been stuffed with newspapers. "Im treating it like its a brand new case," Paulk said, according to the newspaper. 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. We know that.. 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. [26] All local Superior Court judges recused themselves from presiding over the case, preventing the lawsuit from being filed and heard in Lowndes County, citing their close proximity to the accused. 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. The video was streamed by Morant to his Instagram page, and it was not archived once he stopped the stream. Johnson's family didn't accept the. Jaqueline Johnson said she doesnt trust local authorities and wants federal investigators to take another look at what happened to her son here nine years ago. NY Daily News/Valdosta/Lowndes Regional Crime Labratory via CNNKendrick Johnsons body rolled up inside the gym mat with his shoes behind his knees. of foul play, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Thats the craziest lie you could have told, Johnson said of Paulks probe. The sheriff said investigators are working to verify the recording and how the individual received the information in order to "follow the chain of custody. Kendrick Johnson was found dead in a gym mat at Lowndes High School in January 2013. You do not believe there was anything criminal? reporter Tony Thomas asked Paulk. The sheriff described the re-examination into Kendrick Johnsons death as afinal effort to bring some closure to the teens family. 2:24 PM EST, Thu January 27, 2022, Justice Dept. "[34] On August 10, 2017, Georgia Judge Richard Porter ruled that Johnson's family and their attorney had to pay more than $292,000 in legal fees to the dozens of respondents in their civil suit, writing "testimony shows that they had no evidence to support their claims that the [brothers] killed Johnson or that any of the other defendants engaged in a conspiracy to conceal the cause or manner of Johnson's death. 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. Since 17 year old Kendrick Johnson was found dead, in a rolled up gym mat, the question has remained; was this a tragic accident, or a well orchestrated and quickly hidden murder. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! We already knew that nothing was going to be done on your watch. Kendrick Johnson was black and the Lowndes County Sheriff, Chris Prines, and his investigators were all white. [17], Johnson's family requested that his body be exhumed for a second time and was granted permission by Valdosta city officials. Investigators will now comb through 17 boxes of evidence, which were previously sealed. The photo, in which Kendrick Johnsons face is extremely swollen, almost does not look human. "[18] The Johnson family subsequently filed a civil lawsuit against the funeral home, seeking monetary damages. Why The Accidental Death Of Kendrick Johnson Remains Suspicious To This Day. [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. '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. Investigators tested the blood which revealed that it did not belong to Kendrick Johnson. 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. State medical examiners concluded that. Investigators, who suspected hed become trapped after attempting to grab a pair of sneakers, ruled his deatha freak accident. 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. County authorities are currently combing through a trove of boxes of evidence, including computer hard drives, documents, and other files relevant to the investigation. The father of the kid who had a motive is allegedly an FBI Agent, with enough pull to supposedly save his son. 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. A coach found out he was dead. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! "If it's a hoax, it's a very, very cruel hoax to do to Mrs. Johnson," he said. [37] However, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk stated that he would not be claiming there was something wrong with the original investigation or that the original investigation's conclusion of an accidental death was wrong. TheLowndes County Sheriffs Office reopened Kendricks case last March. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. We already knew that nothing was going to be done on your watch, she contended. The late teen's parents, Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson, filed the lawsuit in January, claiming their son was the victim of foul play. 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.