Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk mentioned that the sheriff’s office is going to look over all related info pertaining to the demise of Kendrick Johnson (pictured)
Georgia authorities have introduced that they have been relaunching the investigation into the demise of a black teen whose physique was found inside a rolled-up gym mat in his highschool in 2013.
The announcement comes after federal authorities agreed to launch paperwork from their two-year investigation into Kendrick Johnson’s demise, which they accomplished in 2016. They said on the time there wasn’t sufficient proof to ‘show past a cheap doubt’ that a crime had occurred.
Now, after his household pressed for years for the case to be re-opened – even offering their very own proof – Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk mentioned that the sheriff’s office is going to look over all related info pertaining to the demise of Kendrick Johnson.
The paperwork have began to come back in containers, with 17 reaching the sheriff’s office to date. The containers include laborious drives, paperwork and different materials.
Kendrick’s physique was found in a rolled-up gym mat at Lowndes High School, the place he was a sophomore, on January 11, 2013
Paulk – who not too long ago got here out of retirement in 2017 – wouldn’t communicate additional on what was in the paperwork as they continue to be sealed. He did say that the investigation may take as much as six months, CNN stories.
Kendrick’s physique was found in a rolled-up gym mat at Lowndes High School, the place he was a sophomore, on January 11, 2013.
State and native investigators dominated the teenager’s demise an accident, saying he suffocated after getting caught contained in the mat whereas reaching for a pair of sneakers.
According to Paulk (pictured), his company has been making an attempt to get the paperwork from the GBI for nearly a year – beginning April 2, 2020. Both he and Kendrick Johnson’s father, Kenneth, hand wrote letters to acquire the paperwork.
An post-mortem was accomplished by the Georgia Bureau of Investigations shortly after the 17-year-old’s demise and concluded that Kendrick died from ‘unintended positional asphyxia’, that means his physique was in a position that prohibited him from respiratory.
The Johnson household had the physique exhumed and had two autopsies carried out, each of which listed the teenager’s trigger of demise as blunt power trauma. Federal investigators mentioned the post-mortem carried out by the GBI was extra credible.
According to Paulk, his company has been making an attempt to get the paperwork from the Georgia state investigators for nearly a year – beginning April 2, 2020. Both he and Kendrick Johnson’s father, Kenneth, hand wrote letters to acquire the paperwork.
‘I felt it was a fairly good Christmas, acquired a name proper earlier than Christmas that they have been going to launch them to the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office,’ Paulk added, talking of the paperwork.
Footage exhibiting the teenager’s final moments
‘My plan is to see if there are any discrepancies between the stories,’ Paulk, who is main the investigation, added.
Kenneth Johnson, Kendrick’s father, was cautiously optimistic in regards to the reopening.
‘I’m hoping that he does the fitting factor,’ Kenneth Johnson mentioned of the sheriff. ‘I simply hope that the reality comes out.’
Despite the weird nature of Kendrick’s demise, officers nonetheless imagine it was an accident.
Kendrick pictured along with his mom. The fmaily is cautiously optimistic in regards to the reopening of the cae
The household has filed a number of lawsuits alleging that the varsity district’s superintendent, an FBI agent and a former sheriff conspired to cover-up Kendrick’s demise. Kendrick’s dad and mom Jackie and Kenneth Johnson
In 2016, the Justice Department acknowledged that there was ‘inadequate proof to show past a cheap doubt that somebody or some group of individuals willfully violated Kendrick Johnson’s civil rights or dedicated some other prosecutable federal crime.’
The household has filed a number of lawsuits alleging that the varsity district’s superintendent, an FBI agent and a former sheriff conspired to cover-up Kendrick’s demise.
Jackie and Kenneth additionally accused two college students at Lowndes High School, brothers Brian and Brandon Bell, of murdering Kendrick.
Video proof confirmed the boys weren’t close to the gymnasium when Kendrick was final seen and a choose in the case accused Jackie and Kenneth of fabricating proof to assist their claims.
The Johnsons have been ordered to pay $300,000 in lawyer charges to these they accused of killing their son and the events they alleged coated up the crime.
The highschool is situated in Valdosta, simply 15 miles from the border of Florida.
