The Lowndes County Superior Court Senior Judge Richard Porter dismissed the lawsuit, touring lawyer Chevene King of fabricating evidence. Kendrick Johnsons body was discovered on a wrestling mat in the Lowndes High School gym in Valdosta, Georgia, on January 11, 2013. Be the first to get hottest news from our Editor-in-Chief, Check your email and confirm your subscription. var func = function() { The grisly discovery was made by two sisters, daughters of the Superintendent . Rose, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Council for Valdosta-Lowndes, originally helped raise money for the Johnsons. Johnson's 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 son . Police said they are in the process of examining evidence in Johnsons case, which includes 17 boxes of documents, computer towers, and computer drives. He said he felt from the beginning there was a cover-up after meeting with the coroner. origin.href = e.origin; It then saysthat the defendants put his body inside the mat, where he was found the next morning. Please leave a comment in the section below. Lowndes County Sheriffs Office said an unidentified man admitted to producing the fraudulent audiotape which he initially claimed contained Brian Bell confessing to Kendrick Johnsons murder. Kendrick Johnson's body was discovered in rolled-up gym mat on Jan. 11, 2013. Case and Ashley Reeve's condition today, Where is Adrian Higham today? Please check your email for confirmation from us. Anderson told USA TODAY Sports that Johnson suffered a single blow or pressure to the head or neck and that he did not find the typical signs of positional asphyxia, including fluid accumulating in the lungs, in his autopsy. The body of the high school sophomore was discovered rolled up in a gym mat. One of the brothers had checked out prior to Kendrick entering the gym for a state wrestling tournament. 3 posts. See our privacy policy. Touchton says FSU general counsel Carolyn Egan told the group of Bell supporters that "Florida State football players can't spit on the sidewalk" without inviting media scrutiny. Johnson was found dead on January 11, 2013, on a rolled-up gym mat at his Georgia school. Brandon Bell, who is both a student at Valdosta High School and the brother of Brian Bell, had got drunk at a party on July 4 of 2013 and told people that Brian Bell killed Kendrick Johnson, the petition alleged. The Kendrick Johnson Case Then & Now ( JCS Inspired )Thank You SO MUCH GUYS For The Support YT MemberShip https://www.youtube.com/c/PrinceCharmingNY/me. Johnson was both an honor roll student and well-known athletic at Lowndes High School located in Valdosta, Georgia, which caused him to gain a lot of attention. 2023 ESPN Internet Ventures. According to the AJC, which cites the U.S.Attorneys manual, such letters must be sent whenever a prosecutor believes he or she has substantial evidence linking (the recipient) to a commission of a crime and who, in the judgment of the prosecutor, is a putative defendant., Johnson and Brian Bell had a history. 4. alibis, backed up by witnesses and video surveillance footage, BREAKING: Bond denied for ex-Doraville officer indicted in 16-year-olds killing, Atlanta lawmakers request DOJ probe into shooting death of training center protester, Fulton judge extends deadline for DA to reply to Trump motion to kill probe, YSL case: Lawyer pens court-ordered essay. Brian and his older brother, Branden, appear to have solid alibis for the time when Johnson was seen on school surveillance footage entering the gym on the afternoon of Jan. 10, 2013. Atlanta lawmakers request DOJ investigation into shooting death of training center protester, Hes a known liar, sheriff says of man who provided recording, Sheriff re-opens investigation into Kendrick Johnson's death. Paulk said he told the Johnsons they had most likely been duped. "The kids didn't talk about it," he says. Jacquelyn Johnson, mother of Kendrick, during a moment while filming the documentary. Jim is a Hollywood actor who became a popular entertainment figure in the 1980s after starring in the sitcom Too Close for Comfort. Gravitas Ventures' Finding Kendrick Johnson, which premieres on Starz on Dec. 27 following an Oscar-qualifying theatrical run, reopens the investigation into the mysterious death of African . Brian Bell and Kendrick (who were friends for years) got into a scuffle while they were being bussed to a football game. The Bell familyshome in Valdosta was raided by U.S. That investigation isongoing. In fact, he was missing from all of the social media platforms. An FBI investigation into the case named Brian and Branden Bell as people of interest. Read More: Georgia GOP leaders who stood up to Trump back voting bills, Lord to have to disturb his resting peace breaks my heart into so many pieces but it has to be done,Jacquelyn Johnsonposted of her son on Facebook at the time. Sheriff Paulk from Lowndes County has reopened the Kendrick Johnson case. The life of an aspiring 17-year-old was cut short, robbing Kenneth and Jacquely Johnson of their child. Brian and Branden said they tried to grieve like the rest of their classmates, but were shocked to find out they were being accused of his death. Brian E Bell I Used To Go To Lowndes High School In Valdosta GA And Everyone is Blaming Me And My Little Brother Of The Death Of Kendrick Johnson . They then hired a private coroner who determined the cause of death to be a result of blunt force trauma to the upper neck on the right. The spokesperson said Johnsons mother is not convinced the tape is fake, the Journal-Constitution reported. } else if ( 'function' === typeof window.attachEvent ) { The person on the recording, claiming to be Brain, says, Theyre going to catch me anyway. I should never have done this. The actor Jenifer Lewis is an executive producer and narrates the film, which features news footage, historical video, in-depth interviews with parents, family, friends and investigators and animation that bring to life the vibrancy those close to Kendrick said he possessed. The family filed a $100 million wrongful death suit that names 39 defendants, including Bell and his brother and father, as well as law enforcement and state officials who the family says are covering up a crime. Johnsons family was told the audiotape contains Brian Bells voice, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. On the date of January 10, 2013, Kendrick Johnson, an athletic, well-liked teen entered the "old gym" at his high school in Valdosta, Georgia, and never left. Johnsons parents have repeatedly claimed their son was the victim of foul play, and have accused officials of partaking in a mass coverup that involves the FBI, local police, and the school district. Johnson played football as a freshman at Lowndes in 2011. Brian Bells father is a retired FBI agent, according to his family. Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly. "Jimbo was upset about it," McPherson says. Tuesday, multiple outlets reported that Bell was unlikely to sign with the Seminoles. "The week he died was the week he was going to start weight training and get back into it," McPherson says. The actor Hill Harper is an executive producer, and the director Malcolm D. Lee is a producer. Kendrick Johnson was missing which organs? In the document, the interviewee alleged he was told that Johnsons organs were removed and replaced with newspaper to conceal his actual cause of death. agent would make sure that he would pay for it, the petition stated. Brian Bell is between the ages of 23 and 28. But Pollock uncovered school footage obtained by the FBI of Kendrick and Brian about 4 feet apart in the school that afternoon. There remains no known evidence linking them to Kendrick Johnsons death. However, it has yet to be verified. Their father, Rick Bell, was an FBI agent who eventually resigned his job after his house was raided and searched for evidence. He was just 17 years old. But Michael Moore, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announced a civil rights inquiry in late 2013, and 15 months later the case is still being heard by a grand jury. 'msg_type': 'poll_size', Paulk said the fraudulent recording may fall under federal cyberstalking laws as a person using a cellular device caused emotional distress, in this case, to Johnsons family. PLEASE HELP US!! When asked for the primary evidence linking Bell to the death of Johnson, King referred to a "video" but declined to be more specific. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. He also stated thefuneral home never had Johnsons organs, saying they were discarded by the prosecutor before the body was sent back to Valdosta, according to CNN. All about Belinda Carlisle's Son The sheriff's department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and its pathologist are among the law enforcement entities named in the suit. Interesting facts about Michael Jackson's look-alike, What happened to Sam Shelton? Prior to these most recent developments, Bell reportedly had offers from Clemson, Georgia Tech, and Louisville, among others. According to a report released Monday by WALB News 10, the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office has reopened the Johnson case. "I do not want to minimize the grief this family has been through," Rose says, "but you cannot make a murder out of an accident.". Download our newest episodes now! Like in the case of LaVena Johnson, the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson have been ignored by mainstream. 10. Johnsons parents presented the document days before they were ordered to pay $300,000 in lawyers fees to state and local officials named in a wrongful death lawsuit. Tune in to find out. Wednesday, his high school coach issued a statement confirming that his scholarship offer had been revoked. He and Kendrick Johnson were students at Lowndes High School in Valdosta. A (copy of one such article). Adding to the intrigue - their father, Randy Bell, was an FBI agent. The Johnsons claimed in their 2015 lawsuit that the Superintendent of Schools and the then-sheriff were acting on Rick Bells behalf. The scouting magazine documented his hiring as a backline from Valdosta, Georgia. ALSO READ: Bill Paxton Death Cause: How Did He Die; His Obituary What Happened To Him? "There was a lot of head-nodding, people were asking questions, the facts were going to win. Thank you.. And the truth always comes out,' Branden said. Authorities ruled he slipped in while retrieving shoes, got stuck and asphyxiated. Rose rejects theories of murder in this case partly because to believe them would mean a conspiracy existed among multiple law enforcement and state agencies. Un documentaire revenant sur la mort de Kendrick Johnson relance le mystre, alors que sa famille est persuade que l'adolescent a t tu et que la police couvre le crime. Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern, indem Sie auf unseren Websites und Apps auf den Link Datenschutz-Dashboard klicken. In their 2015 lawsuit, the Johnsons claimed that the Superintendent of Schools and the then-sheriff were acting on Rick Bells behalf. Pollock, who also made the 2017 documentary Stranger Fruit about Michael Brown, a Black teen who was fatally shot in 2014 by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, worked on nothing else for the last four years, he said. 0 following. Their account, Pollock and the Johnsons said, has been the prevailing narrative in Valdosta. The coroner ruled positional asphyxia as the cause of death. According to Brandon Bell, Brian Bell had told Ryan that if he did not keep quiet and help him move Kendrick Johnsons body, his father, who isRick Bell, who is a retired F.B.I. However, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk said their investigation revealed that the Bells do not have a second cousin. Brian Bell and the others were additionally blamed . Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. Online Streaming of Finding Kendrick Johnson. The man allegedly contacted Johnsons mother, who gave police the apparent confession tape in March, in addition to a picture of the person who she said sold it to them for $1,000. Hes a known liar, so who knows if hes telling the truth, the sheriff said of the man who provided the recording. You bet there are. He is undertaking his university studies and was acquitted of the murder charges. The 2018 autopsy was the second independent autopsy in Johnsons case. Viral Video Shows Racist Karen Use N-Word And Then Get Beat Until She Apologized, Lisa Bonet: The Life And Career Of Hollywood's Famous Rebel, Prominent Black Professionals Sue Hulu Over 94 Freaknik Documentary Release, Why Did tWitch Kill Himself? His career spans decades, as he has been part of the entertainment industry since the 1980s. Because the lawsuits against the 38 individuals were later withdrawn, the Johnsons and their attorney were ordered to pay the defendants more than $292,000 in legal fees. // Verify message origin However, video footage shows Brian Bell and Hall elsewhere in the school when Johnson is believed to have died; Branden Bell was at a wrestling tournament in Macon at the time, according to the Journal-Consitution. We bring news that matters to your inbox, to help you stay informed and entertained. And then we checked the video of the gym and we dont see him anywhere around the gym area., Lowndes High football coach Randy McPherson released a statement to the Valdosta Daily TimesonWednesdaymorning: Last Wednesday morning Coach Jimbo Fisher told me that the FSU Athletic Director and the president would not let him give Brian Bell a scholarship. Bells family has repeatedly denied the brothers involvement in Johnsons death. Johnson's body was found in a rolled-up wrestling mat at Valdosta's Lowndes County High gym in Jan. 2013. Mitch Credle is a brave man to whistleblow as he has, Pollock said. What for? The Bell family's home in Valdosta was raided by U.S. His death was initially ruled an accident. Jordan Ritter Conn is a staff writer for Grantland. The original coroners report ruled the cause of death as an accidental asphyxiation. Over 40 defendants were named in a second lawsuit filed in August 2016, including . She resigned from the local NAACP. He and Kendrick Johnson were classmates at Valdostas Lowndes High School. ( function() { It alleges involvement by the Bell brothers father, Rick Bell, who is an FBI agent. Potsdams Nightmare: What Happened to Garrett Phillips? On the recording, a male voice, advertised to be Brian Bell, says, They are going to catch me anyway.