Family Of Ga. Teen Found Dead In A Gym Mat Pushes For Answers
Activists from across the country are asking Georgia's governor to support an investigation into the death of Kendrick Johnson, a 17-year-old discovered dead in a high school gymnasium almost a year ago. His body was found in a rolled-up gym mat.
State investigators ruled out foul play, but Johnson's parents don't believe it.
For 11 months, his family has gathered on the street outside the county judicial complex in Valdosta, Ga. His family sits in folding chairs bundled with scarves and gloves against the brisk wind and chilly rain. Kendrick's mother, grandmother and his father, Kenneth Johnson, are here.
"A lot of people said, 'Keep pushing.' We know justice is coming. Sooner or later, it's coming," Johnson says.
They display poster-sized photos of the teen. Before he died, Kendrick poses in his basketball uniform. An after picture shows a swollen mass of facial tissue that's barely recognizable.
"We just want the truth. We're gonna stay here until we get the truth of what happened to our son," Johnson says.
There are many questions about how the teen ended up inside a rolled-up mat in the gym at Lowndes High School in Valdosta. Kendrick was found with his head facing down inside the mat, his feet sticking out of the top. He disappeared one afternoon and students discovered his body the next morning.
"It's mind-boggling that a child could go to a school and he should disappear during school hours while over 3,000 students were present, and nobody has come forward to say, 'This is what happened,' " says Chevene King, one of the family's attorneys.
At a rally at the Georgia Capitol this week, dozens of civil rights activists called for the governor to order a new investigation. For months, the family has demanded a coroner's inquest.
County officials told the parents their son had gone into the mat looking for shoes that he stored there during gym class.
Kendrick Johnson was an athlete. He played football, basketball and ran track. His parents say he would have moved the mat to retrieve his shoes rather than dive into it.
And there are other questions.
The original autopsy said Johnson's death was accidental and the cause was "positional asphyxia." That means he suffocated because of how he was wedged inside the mat.
But the coroner said the crime scene was contaminated, and the Johnson family said the investigation was botched. His parents paid for the body to be exhumed for another autopsy. A private pathologist determined the cause of death was blunt-force trauma to the neck and that it was not accidental.
Kenneth Johnson also told the crowd in Atlanta that the private pathologist conducting the second autopsy found his son's internal organs and clothing were missing. "So I want the justice system to tell me: How is it that all of that going on with his body, someone is not charged with something?" Johnson said.
Video from dozens of cameras inside the school was released, but it didn't show much. Some of the images were blurry, especially from the camera that would have captured the area around the gym mats. Lawyers question whether the video was altered.
Attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents the Johnsons, was also involved in the Trayvon Martin case in Florida. Crump calls the death "a murder mystery" and says further investigation is vital.
"I think it will publicly show that this was not an accident, that this was homicide. This was foul play," Crump says.
But the Georgia Bureau of Investigation says it stands behind the first autopsy. And the local sheriff says the original investigation was conducted properly. Even so, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Georgia has decided to conduct a formal review, which the family welcomes.
Back in downtown Valdosta, lampposts are spun with garland, and holiday snowflakes and palm trees dot North Ashley Street. The playhouse is running a production of To Kill a Mockingbird.
The Rev. Floyd Rose, pastor of Serenity Christian Church, is a longtime civil rights activist. His church has offered a $10,000 reward for information about Johnson's death. Rose says the family should stop protesting and wait for the U.S. attorney's report.
"Because we are all hurting and want to see some closure come to this," Rose says.
Others say they understand why the family keeps pushing.
Jeannie Gilson has three children. "They need to be given the answers. I mean, any mother would want to know what would happen to their child," Gilson says.
Johnson's parents say they won't quit seeking answers. Another rally is planned in Valdosta next month, exactly one year after their son's body was discovered.
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Transcript
MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:
This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
And I'm Audie Cornish.
This week, activists from across the country are asked Georgia's governor to support an investigation into the mysterious death of a teenager. Kendrick Johnson was a 17-year-old discovered dead in a high school gymnasium in Valdosta, Georgia, almost a year ago. His body was found in a rolled-up gym mat. State investigators ruled his death a freak accident.
But as NPR's Kathy Lohr reports, Johnson's parents don't believe it.
(SOUNDBITE OF A VEHICLE)
KATHY LOHR, BYLINE: Kendrick Johnson's body was found Lowndes High School in Valdosta, not far from the Florida border. For 11 months, his family has gathered on the street outside the county judicial complex.
(SOUNDBITE OF TRAFFIC)
LOHR: They sit in folding chairs bundled with scarves and gloves against the brisk wind and chilly rain. Kendrick's mother, grandmother, and his father Kenneth Johnson, are here.
KENNETH JOHNSON: A lot of people said keep pushing. We know justice is coming. Sooner or later, it's coming.
LOHR: They display poster-size photos of the teen. Before he died, Kendrick poses in his basketball uniform. An after picture shows a swollen mass of facial tissue that's barely recognizable.
JOHNSON: We just want the truth. We're going to stay here until we get the truth of what happened to our son.
LOHR: There are many questions about how the teen ended up inside a rolled-up mat in the gym. Johnson was found with his head facing down inside the mat, his feet sticking out of the top. He disappeared one afternoon and students discovered his body the next morning.
CHEVENE KING: It's mind boggling...
LOHR: Chevene King is one of the family's attorneys.
KING: ...that a child could go to a school and he should disappear during school hours, while over 3,000 students were present, and nobody has come forward to say: This is what happened.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: What do we want?
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Justice.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: When do we want it?
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Now.
LOHR: At a rally at the Georgia capitol this week, dozens of civil rights activists called for the governor to order a new investigation. The family has demanded a coroner's inquest for months. County officials told the parents their son had gone into the mat looking for his shoes that he stored there during gym class. Kendrick Johnson was an athlete. He played football, basketball and ran track. His parents say he would have moved the mat to retrieve his shoes rather than dive into it. And there are other questions
The original autopsy said Johnson's death was accidental and the cause was positional asphyxia. That means he suffocated because of how he was wedged inside the mat. But the coroner said the crime scene was contaminated, and the Johnson family said the investigation botched. His parents paid for the body to be exhumed for another autopsy. A private pathologist determined the cause of death was blunt-force trauma to the neck and that it was not accidental.
Kenneth Johnson also told the crowd in Atlanta that the private pathologist conducting the second autopsy found his son's organs and his clothing had disappeared.
JOHNSON: So I want the justice system to tell me: How is it that all of that going on with his body, someone is not charged with something.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: Amen. Hey.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Amen.
LOHR: Video from dozens of cameras inside the school was released, but it didn't show much. Some of the images were blurry, especially from the camera that would have captured the area around the gym mats. Lawyers question whether the video was altered. Attorney Benjamin Crump represents the Johnsons. He was also involved in the Trayvon Martin Stand Your Ground case in Florida. Crump calls the death a murder mystery and says further investigation is vital.
BENJAMIN CRUMP: I think it will publicly show that this was not an accident, that this was homicide. This was foul play.
LOHR: But the Georgia Bureau of Investigation says it stands behind the first autopsy. And the local sheriff says the original investigation was conducted properly. Even so, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Georgia has decided to conduct a formal review - a review the family welcomes.
(SOUNDBITE OF TRAFFIC)
LOHR: Back in Valdosta, the downtown area has a small town feel. Lampposts are spun with garland and holiday snowflakes and palm trees dot North Ashley Street. The playhouse is running a production of "To Kill a Mockingbird."
REVEREND FLOYD ROSE: For the sake of this community, this needs to stop.
LOHR: Pastor of Serenity Christian Church, the Reverend Floyd Rose, is a longtime civil rights activist. His church has offered a $10,000 reward for information about Johnson's death. Rose says the family should stop protesting and wait for the U.S. attorney's report.
ROSE: Because we are all hurting and want to see some closure come to this.
LOHR: Others say they understand why the family keeps pushing. Jeannie Gilson has three children.
JEANNIE GILSON: They need to be given the answers. I mean any mother would want to know what would happened, you know, to their child.
LOHR: Kendrick Johnson's parents say they won't quit seeking answers. Another rally is planned in Valdosta next month; exactly one year after their son's body was mysteriously discovered.
Kathy Lohr, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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