hibiscus (@crim_dellacreme) June 30, 2020, Im just so done with this country pic.twitter.com/kn0Q3djQ4V, Sminos Wifey (@melmel45_) July 5, 2020, all lives arent having knees in the back of their neck until they suffocate. We also use cookies and data to tailor the experience to be age-appropriate, if relevant. The Johnsons insists their son died of foul play. We want to hear from you! Downtown, fully equipped functional apartment - Airbnb The first autopsy done by the GBI found no. In the Kendrick Johnson case Parks and Crump needed to identify someone, anyone, whom they can accuse of being the enemy. Both have examined the matter and publicly repudiated the ongoing smear campaign against the respected FBI agent and his family. Two Georgia brothers under investigation in the death of a classmate found in a rolled-up gym mat spoke out for the first time to insist they're innocent. Johnsons family found this conclusion insufficient and conducted an independent autopsy with William R. Anderson at Forensic Dimensions in Heathrow, Florida. (Valdosta/Lowndes Regional Crime Labratory via CNN). Kendrick Johnson, not unlike other young Black people, ended up dead and the authorities claim there was no foul play. They hired attorneysincluding one now well known for his divisive rhetoric, Benjamin Crumpa private investigator, and a private pathologist who might deliver cause of death results more in keeping with the groups beliefs. Did Authorities Cover-Up Kendrick Johnson's Mysterious Death - Medium The Bells' father, an FBI agent, and local authorities were also named in the suit against more than 30 people that alleged a cover-up occurred. Johnson's death was ruled an accident by local authorities. Johnson's family filed a $100 million civil lawsuit against 38 individuals, stating that his death was a murder and that the respondents were participants in a conspiracy to cover up the homicide, which they claimed involved two sons of an FBI agent. In 2018, an independent autopsy indicated signs of foul play in the teen's death, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. A petition was created at the start of this year that has since accumulated over 1.5 million signatures, which sparked the reopening of the case. Investigators, who suspected hed become trapped after attempting to grab a pair of sneakers, ruled his deatha freak accident. 1 of 5 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson was found dead in a rolled-up gym mat. Update - Bell Family Countersues Family of Kendrick Johnson, Daryl Floyd Rose, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and former NAACP chapter president Leigh Touchton. It wasnt long before those rumors were pointed at Karen and Rick Bells sons. "Im treating it like its a brand new case," Paulk said, according to the newspaper. The case was dismissed, and no extension of time to serve was granted. ..Murder is not petty. They received a report naming Brian Bell as one of the two persons of interest, but the second persons identity remained concealed, suggesting Brians older brother, Branden, was not a subject of the analysis. Brian and Branden Bell have been targets of suspicion in Johnsons death since shortly after his body was found upside down in a vertically stored gym mat at Lowndes High School on January 10, 2013. Finding Kendrick Johnson opens with whistleblower Mitch Credle, a 23-year veteran homicide detective with . Today we share how the Bell Family is fighting back and has countersued the Kendrick Johnson family and their attorneys Parks and Crump: VALDOSTA FBI agent Rick Bell and his two sons have countersued the parents of Kendrick Johnson for defamation, claiming they disparaged the Bells in statements about how Johnson died two years ago. Branden Bell, meanwhile, was participating in a wrestling tournament in Macon at the time. The Johnson family requested for his body to be re-examined. All Rights Reserved, The Case of Kendrick Johnson is Gaining Renewed Attention, Opinion: Trump Didnt Take Care of His Sick Staffers and he Wont Take Care of You, Atlantas Spa Killings Were the Culmination of Years of Anti-Asian Sentiment, Lacrae Was Called Out For Letting Pastor Refer to White Privilege as White Blessing. The video claimed the older Bell brother, Branden, had reason to harm Johnson and was still on campus when Johnson was last seen on a school surveillance video. Myth #5: The Bells have admitted to killing Kendrick on various occasions and in front of various witnesses. when a tragedy was discovered at the Bell boys high school in Valdosta, Georgia. Kendrick was pronounced dead at the scene and his time of death was before 14:00 on January 10, 2013. But Johnson's mom, Jacquelyn, said Brian and her son were not even friends, let alone best ones. The Bells father, a former FBI agent, is accused of directing officials to obscure the investigation, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. CNN reported that federal marshals, warrant in hand, seized emails from the Lowndes County sheriffs office on July 21 and 22 related to the federal grand jury investigation into the teens death. Johnsons parents, who also filed a lawsuit against the Lowndes County Board of Education and the board members, have been fighting for over two years to establish the truth and seek justice for their son. It's just like,'shut this family up,' sending them on their way, but what they didn't realize is the Johnson family is not going anywhere. Brian and Branden Bell are being investigated over the death of Kendrick Johnson, who was found dead on January 11, 2013. When they went to see his body at the crime scene, they discovered a gruesome sight: Kendrick's bloodied body inside a. [] Witnesses say, and video shows, Brian Bell was in class across campus at the time Johnson would have been killed. Kendrick would not have needed to be lured to the old gym. Due to power outages, daylight savings, etc some servers had incorrect time stamps. He did not. On January 11, 2013, the Johnson family was told that Kendrick had died. With help, students lowered the mat to the ground and unrolled it to reveal Kendricks body. Revelatory details are presented that could further aid the Johnson family. Government agents search homes in Kendrick Johnson Georgia "gym mat You can also visit g.co/privacytools at any time. Police surmised his shoes had fallen into the center of the rolled-up mats, which were stored on-end. Kendrick Johnson's body was found upside down in a vertically stored gym mat at Lowndes High School in January of 2013. The Bell family countersued, accusing the Johnsons of using others as their authorized agents to post messages on various social media, including Facebook, Twitter, blogs, instant messaging, and the like, that were defamatory of the Bells. The Bells also sued Ebony magazinein a $5 million slander and libel suit, based on articles accusing their sonsthrough the use of aliasesof being involved in Kendrick Johnsons death. Earlier this year, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Johnsons parents, Jacquelyn and Kenneth Johnson, filed a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit. But it doesnt look like thats ever going to happen.. Photographs included with the report include adjusted time stamps to make up for discrepancies between the schools multiple video surveillance systems. The police investigated the matter thoroughly and Georgia Bureau of Investigation experts conducted an autopsy. The Bells seek $1 million for comments about them in media statements, news stories and social media posts. He said Johnson "was one of my good friends," who he met in the 6th grade on the football team. 'Our generation's Emmett Till': what happened to Kendrick Johnson Why did Florida State pull Bell's scholarship offer? - Grantland Their reasoning: so the state team could carry plausible deniability and protection from malicious prosecution claims. For years, however, the teenagers family has insisted the 17-year-old was murdered and that investigators actively worked to stifle the familys pleas for justice. Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters. "I can't even remember" what the fight was about, he said. Non-personalized content and ads are influenced by things like the content youre currently viewing and your location (ad serving is based on general location). The $100 million suit, filed in January, alleges Brian and Branden Bell -- two brothers who were schoolmates of Johnson -- were encouraged by their father, FBI agent Rick Bell, to "violently . The machine of racial politics kicked into high gear in southern Georgia. We aint cheering, but we know this is the only path that we can get for justice for Kendrick Johnson, family spokesman Marcus Coleman said after meeting with the sheriff. BB1s location is not only confirmed by his teammates and coach, but the bus driver, cell phone data, the boy that shared a hotel room with BB1 in Macon that night and the wrestling team in Macon. The cameras in the old gym recorded at a rate of 1 FPS (frame per second). Brian Bell lost a football scholarship to Florida State University after he was named in the lawsuit. He was marked present for blocks 13. Tuesday, multiple outlets reported that Bell was unlikely to sign with the Seminoles. The two brothers, both Caucasian, have said they were friends with Johnson, but have maintained that they didn't see Johnson on the day of his death. The young mans arms were pinned and no one else was near enough to hear his cries for help or to help him escape. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. What happened here? His parents, Kenneth and Jacqueline, thought maybe he got caught up in something and figured he would call at some point, but he never did. The time stamps were offset by FBI analysts to sync the videos to the correct times. Johnson's parents claim the two Bell brothers "violently assaulted" Johnson at their father's command and that Johnson "suffered a fatal injury which led to his death." It all sounds ridiculous, until you understand the history of how both Parks and Crump have gotten away with manufacturing claims out of thin air, and then enlisting their ideological compatriots in selling the wild and patently ridiculous. #BLM #GeorgeFloyd #KendrickJohnson, 2021 Chaos+Comrades. The person of interest whose identity remains redacted in the FBI video analysis was observed in the LHS parking lot headed towards J-Wing at the time Kendrick is last seen, according to the FBI report. These videos can be viewed without special software, but you will not see a time stamp. The Bell brothers have since admitted to their roles in the murder of Johnson, and a formal report was voluntarily given by Ryan Anthony Domek-Hernandez in 2017. Given the mysterious deaths of Sandra Bland in Waller County, Texas, 18-year-old Kindra Chapman in Ala., and Kendrick Johnson in Lowndes County, Ga., we are reminded that #BlackLivesMatter and justice must be done. While Finding Kendrick Johnson doesnt have all the answers, I remember whats done in the dark will come to light. On January 11, 2013 the body of 17-year old Kendrick Johnson was found upside down in a rolled up gym mat in the old gym at Lowndes High School in Valdosta, GA. After an investigation by the Lowndes County Sheriffs Department and an autopsy by the GBI, his death was ruled an accident due to positional asphyxiation. The three teens were classmates. It is in fact easier to find misinformation on this case than it is to find the facts. Despite the fact that all these investigations agreed that Kendrick was not murdered, his family has continued to push that narrative while making sure the suspects are called out- loudly, publicly and often. however, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in 2015, pointing fingers at two brothers, Brian and Branden Bell . the Johnson family attorney, Chevene King, said. But the parents of Kendrick Johnson probably had no way to know this stuff, and given the publicity of the case two high-profile Black Grievance Industry advocates, Parks and Crump, most likely sounded like a good team to request assistance from.