Atlanta, GA – On January 11, 2013, the body of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson was found upside-down and rolled up in a school gym mat. The mysterious death of Kendrick Johnson was initially ruled an accident by law enforcement, but his family was not convinced. The family of Kendrick Johnson has been fighting to find out the truth of what happened to their son for nearly a decade. A recently released film has helped them shed some light on their son’s death and the investigation that followed.
When asked about the reopening of the case, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk said, “If there’s questions — and they’re legitimate — I need to know the answers myself. The only way I’m going to know is to look at the evidence myself.”
Additional Information
- Kendrick Johnson was last seen on January 10, 2013.
- Kendrick’s parents, Kenneth and Jackie Johnson, were forced to hire outside investigators to look into his death because law enforcement and surrounding agencies of the government were lackluster in seeking justice.
- Clinical Pathologist Dr. Williams R. Anderson deemed that there was physical evidence in Johnson’s lungs that showed that he did not asphyxiate and his death was likely caused by non-accidental blunt force trauma to the head and neck, and let’s not forget to add that all his internal organs were removed and replaced with newspaper.
- The film highlights the history of racially motivated violence that is historically tied to the city of Valdosta and Lowndes County. It was there in 1918 that a Black woman named Mary Turner was lynched for speaking out against, wait for it, her husband’s lynching. Eight months pregnant, a white mob tied her up, cut her baby out of her stomach so that it fell to the ground, killed the baby by stomping on its head, and then hung Mary.
Johnson Family Concerns
- After a three year investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice closed the case, citing insufficient evidence. Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk reopened the investigation in March of this year, but there has not been any movement in the case.
- There is evidence that leads to two white brothers that knew Johnson from the school they attended. Brian and Branden Bell were named persons of interest in the case. Although there was enough evidence to bring about a federal search warrant for the Bell’s home, it was realized that father was an FBI agent. At this point it seemed as if a cover up began.
- The Johnson family is hoping that the documentary will inspire anyone with information to speak up.
The film speaks to a fear that ALL Black American families face; that one day, their child will walk out the front door for the very last time, all because someone felt their skin color made their life expendable.
Join the family along with JUSTGeorgia and partners for the first Atlanta-area screening of the powerful new documentary Finding Kendrick Johnson.
Finding Kendrick Johnson Documentary Viewing
Date: December 13
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Strongbox West, 1040 W Marietta Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30318
RSVP:nicole@selsienterprises.com
Sponsored by: JUSTGeorgia, Black Men Build, and Justice for Georgia.
