Heres a copy of the transcript of the recording: Copyright 2021 WALB. Copyright 2018 WALB. Community See All. The documentary is available for rent or purchase on iTunes, Netflix, Google Play and elsewhere. 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.". "If covid wasn't happening, I'd be downtown right now with millions of people marching for justice. What I do in the film is show things that people dont want to talk about that we forgot about that have been pushed under the rug because its easier for these southern white communities to pretend that it didnt happen than to have to change. Mr. Pollock, I was surprised to see the things youve worked on and the story you have regarding the FBI. So many people in the South cant even admit the [regions] connection to slavery. JACKSONVILLE, Fla A new piece of potential evidence has been brought to authorities in the high-profile death of a Valdosta teen. Finding Kendrick Johnson uses public documents to show the last moments of the teen's life. WALB has compiled a timeline of events since Johnsons reported death. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Georgia was recused from the investigation many years ago.. Any person who looks at this case objectively would know it would be impossible to conceal any evidence due to the involvement of so many agencies and investigators, Paulk wrote of the accusations that a cabal of law enforcement covered up the killing of the 17-year-old Lowndes High School. Contact KENDRICK JOHNSON MEMORIAL on Messenger. Coleman says a tipster sold the tape for $1,000 to the Johnson family. Affidavit in Kendrick Johnson Caseby Local and state investigators determined the death was an. I can relate to everything you said. 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. It hasnt stopped, Im working on several cases at all times and continue having success. The body of Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found Jan. 11 in South Georgia. When it came time to narrate the film, he turned to singer and actress Jenifer Lewis. VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - Kendrick Johnsons family is full of hope after they brought a new recording to light with a possible confession to law enforcement. Paulk and his team are currently investigating the recording and verifying the voice. That material included grand jury testimony, results from an autopsy conducted by federal authorities and additional digital evidence. More than eight years had passed since Kendrick Johnson's body was found in a rolled-up gym mat at Lowndes High School in Valdosta. Another said he and Johnson had stored their shoes in the mat in the past and would retrieve them by tipping the mat. But what-about-ism is propaganda and Kendrick was a victim of that for eight years down there. 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. MITCH CREDLE: This is the first time Ive ever experienced any type of homicide investigation that was done this way. During an autopsy, internal organs are routinely removed and examined before being returned for burial. All Rights Reserved. One person said he saw a small bruise on Johnson's jaw, according to the report, while another person "who viewed the body" said he did not observe any signs of trauma. And the kid very respectfully told us that he just wasnt used to people like us talking to someone like him and treating someone like him in that way. Eight years after the body of Kendrick Johnson was found in a rolled-up gym mat at a high school in Georgia, the Lowndes County Sheriffs Office has announced it is reopening the case after authorities initially ruled the 17-year-olds cause of death as accidental. 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. A Georgia sheriff's office is reopening an investigation into the 2013 death of Kendrick Johnson, a Black teenager whose body was found inside a rolled-up gym mat in his high school . The documentary repeatedly portrays images of lynchings, including the infamous murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in 1955. The film is narrated by actress Jenifer Lewis, whose mellifluous and recognizable voice is known to fans of Black-ish.. Its an aggressive malpractice in the education system that is teaching white, racist communities a version of the history of our country that didnt exist. Paulk said hell be asking the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for help as well. "There's no conspiracy theories in the film," he tells PEOPLE. Type above and press Enter to search. On January 11, 2013, the corpse of a teen, Kendrick Johnson was being discovered upside-down and folded up in a school gym mat under the most bizarre of conditions. October 2013: Feds to investigate mysterious teen gym mat death, October 2013: Video released in Kendrick Johnson case. TCR: How is this kind of underlying and deep-seeded racism reflected in the handling ofthis case by both local law enforcement and the FBI? He might as well offer $5 million or even $5 billion. CNN obtained new video from inside the gym where Valdosta, Georgia, teen Kendrick Johnson was found dead. Why has this Georgia man been behind bars for 10 years awaiting trial? 2023 Cable News Network. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Seven people testified that students, including Johnson, often stored shoes or other items inside the mats, according to the sheriff's report. 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. And, for me, it really took the air out of my balloon when it came to law enforcement in general. I saw allthe horrendous images she was sharing of him and I was traumatized by what I saw. What Falcons NFC South rivals did in 2023 NFL draft. I quote they are going to catch me anyway, I shouldve never done this. Did he hit his head going into the mat. An FBI video analysis concluded that they were in different areas of the school when Johnson entered the gym. On January 11th, 2013, Kendrick Johnson was found dead in his high school gymnasium rolled up in a gym mat. His parents asked why the autopsy report did not mention bruising to their sons chin that responding paramedics put in their initial report. The man who said the words has not been identified. 25,115 people follow this. It shouldnt have happened to Kendrick. You believe that lie because youre taught it by your teachers, your parents, your pastors, and then you grow up and are told you bought into that lie and you get made about that. Possible new evidence presented in Kendrick Johnson case, Teens arrested after 11 injured in South Carolina park shooting, Former South Georgia State College president passes away. 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 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. Create new account. Kendrick Johnson playred football at Lowndes High School. Before his death, Johnson had gotten into an altercation with the student's brother. The FBI has been doing stuff like this for a long time. The brothers, who have repeatedly denied involvement, were not charged. A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney's office for Middle Georgia said in a statement: "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, which handled the matter. See more of KENDRICK JOHNSON MEMORIAL on Facebook. Potayto, potahto, OPINION: Police shootings: Why theres so often a fusillade of bullets, Torpy: Streetcar extension on Beltline - a costly and unvetted bet. Eight years after the body of Kendrick Johnson was found in a rolled-up gym mat at a high school in Georgia, the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office has announced it is reopening the case after. CREDLE:In law enforcement, its all about how they deal with the culture of the environment that they are policing. Kendrick Johnson, was a 17-year-old high school sophomore, found dead, inside of a rolled-up gym mat at Lowndes High School gymnasium on January 11, 2013. Johnsons parents have said they think their son was killed. 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. Local law enforcement was quick to rule it an accident and move on but the family is sure this is a case of murder being covered up. 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. Marcus Coleman provided a transcript of the recording which says "[They're] gonna catch me anywaysshould've never done that.". The Lowndes County Sheriffs Office is currently working to authenticate the recording and the voice on it. Why has this Georgia man been behind bars for 10 years awaiting trial? Hello, I think an outside agency should investigate everything thatoccurred and, this time, the investigators should stay down there every day until its done. 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. "I was young and stupid, man, Kendrick didn't deserve thatthey're going to catch me," the transcript said. Kendrick Johnson 's body was found in a wrestling mat Jan. 11, 2013, in the Lowndes High School gym in Valdosta, Georgia. Theyre going to spin it. Like you see in the film, Black people still cant even go into certain restaurants and get served. For now, Pollock hopes people will watch the documentary to learn about the facts of the case and decide on their own whether Kendrick was a victim of an accident or a crime. Racism is the front and center reality of this story and all the other stories like it that are coming to the forefront now. We handed over what we believe is a Caucasian male stating his involvement," Coleman said. It was that or go to jail, Atlanta lawmakers request DOJ probe into shooting death of training center protester, Georgia voter check-in devices stolen from DeKalb elections warehouse, Fulton judge extends deadline for DA to reply to Trump motion to kill probe, New homes loom larger in Atlanta market. In what appears to be an addendum to the second autopsy report, done in June of 2013, it was determined Johnsons cause of death was non-accidental blunt force trauma to his right neck and right thorax, which is the body cavity between the neck and abdomen. Page transparency See more. IE 11 is not supported. And it was recorded last weekend. It went on to say that an agent in someway,facilitated the editing of the high schools surveillance video by corrupting or deleting some one hour and twenty-five minutes of the original recording.. The third autopsy also contradicts the findings of the first autopsy, which determined the cause of death as positional asphyxia. "Just completely alone and everything had fizzled for them, and nobody cared about them.". 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. Post retirement I joined the effort to solve these missing persons cases and I have done that, in more cases than you might suspect. 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. How was he able to act with suchabandon and blatant disregard for the law? This 2018 autopsy concludes that the cause of death was "apparent non . I have insights into many cases, things that were unknown until I discovered them. Press Esc to cancel. Paulk also addressed claims that two students may have been involved, as well as conflicting accounts of Johnson's missing organs. The US Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Ohio declined to comment. ALBANY, GA (WALB) - Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found dead in a mat at Lowndes High School in 2013. The sheriff said verifying the voice and authenticating the recording is doable, and they have equipment that will help. Krista Monkon Scribd. Example video title will go here for this video, The Jacksonville Jaguars Add A Toughness Trait In Draft. 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. One student testified that they would go down into the mats to retrieve the items, according to the report. We have not had faith in Lowndes County. Terrible things happen here. On Jan. 10, 2013, when Kendrick didn't return home from school, his mom, Jacquelyn Johnson, wasn't worried at first. 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. Police found his body rolled under gym mats, and after the first autopsy, his death was ruled to be an accident. RELATED: Lowndes County reopens Kendrick Johnson case, teen whose body was found rolled up in gym mat. Do not believe anything that this sheriffs department tells you, Kenneth Johnson said. [6] That lawsuit was subsequently withdrawn. The Kendrick Johnson Case: A timeline of events in the case, Teens arrested after 11 injured in South Carolina park shooting, Former South Georgia State College president passes away. 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. After all, this is the South. She checked in with his father to see if he'd been in contact and reached. Like when you say that shouldnt have happened to Kendrick, youre exactly right. Undeterred, Johnsons father and Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk wrote a letter to the Justice Department in 2019 requesting documents related to the case. He announced the reward, he said, after Johnsons family called him a liar. 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. The regular media is constantly spinning. These are the facts that are irrefutable that are mostly from the state's own documents.". Ive been doing homicide 23 years and 12 of those years Ive investigated cold-case homicides. 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. Its really simple. When authorities ruled Kendrick's death accidental, theorizing he had fallen into the opening at the center of the mat and suffocated, the Johnsons conducted an independent autopsy of their own, which determined he was a victim of foul play. Johnson's body was head-down in a rolled-up mat that was positioned vertically. The Lowndes County Sheriff's Office reopened the case in March. The family's attorney, Chevene King said, "We anticipate that there may be evidence that his death was a cover-up. I have things from the Kendrick Johnson case, important things that nobody else is aware of. He then took aim at Michael Moore, the former U.S. attorney for Middle Georgia, whose investigation ended up having an armored car and teams of heavily armed federal agents swarm the Bells home in an early morning raid in 2015. Discovery Company. Did you know Birmingham was home to the largest black Caribbean population in the UK? Hours Later, Dead Bodies Were Found, Connecticut Man Who Vanished a Decade Ago Found Dead After Living Under New Name in New York, Ariz. I felt that we had let the Johnson family down. POLLOCK:And I feel that was by design. 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. "We didn't hand over an automated voice, pieced together recording. Paulk called the teenagers death a weird accident, telling CNN, there is nothing to substantiate a homicide.. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Kendrick Johnson, a 5-foot-10, 160-pound multi-talented athlete, attended classes on the morning of January 10, 2012. VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - Kendrick Johnson's family is full of hope after they brought a new recording to light with a possible confession to law enforcement. A local investigation into the death of a 17-year-old Georgia student who was found dead in 2013 in a rolled-up gym mat has been closed with no charges filed. The Lowndes sheriffs department (Paulk was not sheriff then) and the GBI concluded that early on. We do know there is what appears to be a Caucasian male admitting tearfully and fearfully to the killing of Kendrick Johnson, Coleman said. An autopsy conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined the cause of Johnsons death was accidental positional asphyxia. The report also details the findings of several separate autopsies. 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 inside a rolled-up wrestling mat. 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. The only things that are in my movie are data points in their own paperwork. An autopsy by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) ruled Kendricks cause of death as "accidental, positional asphyxia." This is a developing story and WALB will update as more information becomes available. Everybody rejected it, every network rejected it. 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. LCSO confirmed to . $980,000 clubhouse for Putney Park set for a vote. 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. TCR: Our documentary exposes a lot of the history surrounding the FBI and the treatmentof African Americans in this country by criminal justice organizations. I dont suggest anything, hypothesize, or even come up with any theories. 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. A coach placed the mat in a horizontal position, exposing the upper half of the torso," according to the sheriff's report. If you look at how Black people have been represented in Hollywood for the last 20 years and up to today you see how difficult it is to just be Black and have these white programmers care about your story. Sticking out of a rolled up mat with his feet sticking out the top. The clothing he was wearing when he was found also was missing. In an interview, Paulk said that Moore told FBI agents, who wanted to drop the case, Im going to move on. Most people in Hollywood, especially white people, hadnt heard about KJs story and we had a lot of doors closed because of that fact. $980,000 clubhouse for Putney Park set for a vote. Family of Georgia Teen Found Dead Inside Gym Mat in 2013 Hopes for Answers in Reopened Investigation, The True Story Behind Hulu's 'Boston Strangler', Mother of Athena Strand, 7, Joins Child's Father in Suing FedEx After Their Daughter's Death, 2 Students from Same Atlanta High School Found Dead, Police Say Cases Are Unrelated, Lawyer for Idaho Victim's Family Says Slain Students Didn't Know Suspect: 'No Idea They Were in Danger', 'Sweet, Giving' Teen Is Found Dead by Dumpster in Suspected Homicide, and Family Pleads for Answers, 911 Call Came in About Woman Threatening to Drive Daughter into Lake. Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found dead in a rolled-up wrestling mat at his high school in January. It took a while to get the 17 boxes of files. Although there were additional findings in the autopsy done by Forensic Dimensions, that revealed blunt force trauma was found to Johnsons right chest, its one affidavit that makes its way to the forefront. His death has been ruled accidental and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation officially closed its investigation in June of 2020 but the family has long believed Johnson was murdered. The sheriff said he spent 15 months reading every page in that file, but found that they did not show any criminal action whatsoever.. Investigation into death of Georgia teen found in a rolled-up gym mat 8 years ago will be reopened. The body of 17-year-old Johnson was found upside down in a mat in Lowndes County High School in January 2013. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. 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. 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. 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. Isidoro Rodriguez is editor of TCRs Justice Digest and a contributing staff writer for The Crime Report. 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. Lowndes County sheriff's investigators concluded that he died in a freak accident, falling headfirst into an upright mat. I think what the film does is unspin this story. Johnsons parents, however, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in 2015, pointing fingers at two brothers, Brian and Branden Bell, and their friend, Ryan Hall, as the perpetrators behind their sons death. On an interview with MSNBC host Joy Reid, Lewis summed up the case, saying, Imagine being the mother of this child, 17 years old, knowing somebody, probably rich and white, is walking around with his organs. Bill Torpy, who writes about metro Atlanta for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joined the newspaper in 1990. It was simply a tragic and bizarre accident. What appears to be a Caucasian male admitting to killing Kendrick Johnson, said Coleman. Today we delivered what we have authenticated, make sure that is extremely clear. Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305. by TCR Staff, The Crime Report October 19, 2021, This and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.. His body was discovered the next morning when a class entered the gym and sat on the bleachers next to the mats, the report says. Well sometimes, something like that will drive people out. The suspicious circumstances of Kendricks death have led to an endless amount of conjecture, conspiracies and allegations. 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. She checked in with his father to see if he'd been in contact and reached out to other family and friends, but when she discovered no one had heard from him, she quickly filed a missing persons report. Yet to this day, despite multiple investigations, lawsuits and autopsies, no one can say for certain whether the death of Kendrick Johnson was an accident or a murder. We started investigating in 2017, and most of the film was done by the beginning of 2020. But then, unexpectedly, my partner and I were taken off the case and I found out later that instead of getting arrested he was allowed to resign. But a couple of other. The biggest problem was getting Hollywood to put it out. Show more 6:12 Missing video in teen gym-mat death? Kendrick Johnsons body was found in a wrestling mat Jan. 11, 2013, in the Lowndes High School gym in Valdosta, Georgia. In 2013, authorities determined Johnson got trapped in the mat and asphyxiated while trying to retrieve a sneaker. Thats not the way a proper investigation goes. He came across the story of Kendrick and decided to dig deeper. The circumstances of his death have been a source of conjecture, gossip, allegations and lawsuits ever since.. Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found dead in a mat at Lowndes High School in 2013. Aside from that,people know me. The following transcript has been edited for space and clarity. 200-300 years of institutional racism brought us to the point where an entire city in the south is living with the cover up of the murder of this child and no one wants to do a damn thing about it. 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. CREDLE:What he did was obstruction of justice. "This change is attributed to the fact that additional materials were submitted for evaluation by the United States Department of Justice," the report says. We knew what the outcome would be from the very beginning, Kendricks father, Kenneth Johnson, told CNN. Thats when I first met Jackie, Kendricks mom, and we became Facebook friends. State and local officials ruled that Kendrick suffocated after purportedly reaching for a pair of sneakers inside the mat and getting stuck. Kendrick Johnson's body was found in a wrestling mat Jan. 11, 2013, in the Lowndes High School gym in Valdosta. "But then the phone rang. In 2020, people are still calling for the investigation into Kendrick Johnsons suspicious death to be reopened. He vowed to review the controversial case. Doesnt matter. Paulk wrote that because so many federal and local agencies were involved, any person who looks at this case objectively would know that it would be impossible to conceal any evidence.. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He said Kendrick Johnson's brain, heart and tongue were among the missing organs. So, when I was down there I met a lot of different families that had been victimized by police and government violence and had traveled to Ferguson from around the country to support the movement growing there. 25,332 people like this. While authorities ruled his death an accident, Kendricks family sensed foul play and demanded a second independent autopsy. TCR: How did you maintain objectivity in a story that is so deeply personal to the peopleinvolved and really focuses on their experience over anyone elses? A Warner Bros. 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 . This death does intrigue me. There are issues that arise after I solve a case, issues often from surprising sources. Much of the public and media have agreeably nodded along with that notion. 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. exhumed for the second time for the third autopsy in June. The forensic pathologist not only determined the cause of death to be from non-accidental blunt force trauma, but also discovered that organs were missing from his body. However, when Dr. Bill Anderson, the private pathologist who conducted the second autopsy, examined Kendrick's remains, the brain, heart, lungs, liver and every other organ from the pelvis to the skull were all missing. State and local officials ruled that Kendrick suffocated after purportedly reaching for a pair of sneakers inside the mat and getting stuck. While conspiracies surrounding Kendrick's death have been the subject of numerous investigative shows and documentaries, filmmaker Jason Pollock, who recently released Finding Kendrick Johnson, focuses on one fundamental question: What happened? When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. JASON POLLOCK: It all started in Ferguson [Missouri], right after Mike Brown was killed. The body of Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found Jan. 11 in south Georgia, and Lowndes County sheriff's investigators concluded that he died in a freak accident - falling headfirst into an upright.
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