Those who believe the Bells were complicit in KJs murder point to their refusal to consent to interviews with law enforcement, a right protected under the Fifth Amendment. In fact, he was missing from all of the social media platforms. Someone who witnessed the murder was told to keep quiet or they would pay for it, according to the affidavit. Those midsummer raids were a clear sign to the Bells that the government was far from finished with their family. Is This The End Of Olivia Rodrigos Sad Girl Era? 0 a sign. He corroborates the earlier tip, that the Bells killed Kendrick Johnson over Taylor Eakin. So Anderson sent the slides to other pathologists, who came to the same conclusions. Like many people, Rep. Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found dead in 2013, but his family says in the documentary they will continue to fight for justice because his "life mattered. Credle also cited missing evidence and suspicious circumstances, like the fact that Kendrick, who was 5-foot-10 with shoulders 19 inches wide, was found inside a mat that the FBI indicated was 14 inches wide. And similar warrants. A big wave happens because of the depth under the wave. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. So this is what America has come to? wrote Bell, now 18. Brian Bells present whereabouts are unknown. if ( iframe ) { Anderson, after a second exhumation of Kendricks body, ran molecular tests that produced blood slides that showed the teen died of blunt force trauma. 31 followers. Johnson died as a result of positional asphyxia suffocation caused by being in a position where one cant breathe.. Anthony Tiffith, the head of the newly created record label Top Dawg Entertainment, was captivated by the musicians music and signed him. (LogOut/ A family member views photo of Kendrick as a youth football player. Theyll make you say you did something you didnt do, Branden Bell said. Kendrick's classmates Brian and Branden Bell, who are white, were considered persons of interest, through an FBI investigation of the case, according to Valdosta Today. Calvin was born on September 16, 1947, in Mechanicsburg, Mississippi, the son Read More, Arnold Carl Young, (81), of Provo, Utah, passed away in the early morning of February 22, 2023. Longtime SCLC president Floyd Rose held two rallies in support of the family at first. Torrey All-Weather Wicker 4-Piece Square Arm Wedge Corner Sectional. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcRhhqpuV34&list=LLZWU_bfK2bEF5OmtDH9DCpA&index=1, WJCL News. He did not die of asphyxiation.. The Johnsons and their counsel were forced to pay the defendants more than $292,000 in legal expenses because the lawsuits against the 38 individuals were eventually withdrawn. Moore declined to comment on the warrants or other aspects of the case when reached by phone Thursday. And the truth always comes out,' Branden said. Bullying . She passed away on January 23rd, 2023. In the countersuit, the Bells denied all allegations, accusing the Johnson family 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., Information in the warrants revealed the Bells were issued in conjunction with a federal grand jury investigation into Johnson's death, Ladson said, specifically regarding issues 'related to alleged witness tampering.'. Ryan Anthony goes on in his statement to implicate Freshmen Taylor Eakin and Rick Bell, Branden and Brian's father, the first medical examiner and the FBI in a cover-up of mass proportions regarding the death of KJ. The two constantly argued over Bell's girlfriend Taylor Eakin, who was having an affair with Johnson. I dont know who killed Kendrick Johnson, he said. Despite Lowndes County sheriff's investigators concluding the death was a freak accident, his parents, Kenneth and Jacquelyn, filed a wrongful death lawsuit naming two brothers targeted by federal search warrants this week. She was born in Provo, UT, on May 27, 1936. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. The witness alleged they were told that Kendrick Johnsons organs were removed and replaced with newspaper to conceal his actual cause of death. "It is not necessary that all the world should understand the libel; it is sufficient if those who knew the plaintiff can make out that she is the person meant." Alledgedly, Brian Bell has also stated that he killed Kendrick Johnson multiple times over the phone (WJCL News). Subsequent testimony placed Branden Bell on a school bus on the way to a wrestling tournament at the time Johnson was last seen alive. We didnt want our words to be misconstrued. We have nothing to hide. Curtis Bunn is an Atlanta-based journalist for NBC BLK who writes about race. CCTV footage, however, showed Bell on his way to another building as Johnson entered the gym. An investigation revealed that the Bells did not have a second cousin and that the Johnsons had been provided a phony recording. According to Credle, the coroner had almost immediately ruled the death accidental when evidence did not support that assessment. Thank you and God bless. A jealous person needs to accept that jealousy is just one part of being human and that with identifying the reason behind it you can learn something and move on. Branden and Brian Bell, the brothers accused of involvement in the January 2013 death of Georgia teenager Kendrick Johnson, are speaking out for the first time since the 17-year-old's body wa For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Family gathered Read More, Carolyn Cochran Donaldson passed away on February 27, 2023, in Holladay, UT, at the age of 86. Arnold (or "Arnie" depending on when you knew Read More, Robert (Bob) Henry Anderson was born October 29, 1929, "Black Tuesday", the beginning of the Great Depression. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. By U.S. Attorney Michael Moore of the Middle District of Georgia announced a federal investigation into Johnson's death in October 2013. They know how to get the answers they want.. The parents of Kendrick Johnson still haven't gotten answered to the death of their son and now have filed a lawsuit accusing classmates of killing him at school. However, during the process of the second autopsy after Kendrick Johnson's body was dug out of the ground, Dr. Bill Anderson (patholigist) confirmed that all of his organs from his head down to his pelvis were absent . Their father, Rick Bell, was an FBI agent who eventually resigned his job after his house was raided and searched for evidence. Val has an older sister Colleen Black (Keith) whom he remained close to throughout Read More, On January 14, 2023, Dale Edward Pinegar passed away peacefully of causes incident to advanced age, surrounded by his loving family and dear Read More, Obituary James H. Sinquefield James Henry Sinquefield, age seventy-nine, passed away peacefully on December 30, 2022, at Bel Aire Senior Living Read More, Philip E. Allsen passed away on January 13, 2023, of natural causes. For the latest true crime and justice news,subscribe to the Crime Stories with Nancy Grace podcast. window.addEventListener( 'message', funcSizeResponse, false ); A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. Kay spent her Read More, We lost our beautiful mom, Orlinda Wright Mower, on Sunday, January 15, 2023, five days after her 91st birthday. The second statement was from Ryan Anthony Domek-Hernandez, who is a friend of Branden Bell, which stated that when he went to Branden Bells apartment in Florida, Branden Bell had told him that Brian Bell killed Kendrick Johnson by striking his neck with a 45 pound weight/dumbbell after they began arguing over Taylor Eakin (attached photo). She was the 4th child in her family, and was preceded Read More, After 15 years of enduring and fighting carcinoid cancer, LoisAnn Prichard passed away February 8, 2023 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Documentary filmmaker Jason Pollock has been researching Kendricks death since 2017. Blame the warm weather, The Jolt: Busy, long day at the Georgia Legislature. Updated: Jul. Two years later, the investigation is still ongoing. Required fields are marked *. Brian struck Kendrick with a 45lb dumbbell. Cover up . Conspiracy . Bell was accused of Johnson's assassination. 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. Sheriff's investigators long ago concluded Johnson died in a freak accident, getting stuck upside down inside the mat and unable to breathe. According to the funeral home that processed the body after the FBIs autopsy, they never received Johnsons internal organs from the coroner; the organs were destroyed through the natural process. Me and my brother have been innocent and will always be innocent. Officials concluded that Kendrick Johnson died from positional asphyxia as a result of becoming trapped in a rolled-up gym mat. ( function() { The original coroners report ruled the cause of death as an accidental asphyxiation. State and local investigators believe that Kendrick died by accident, suffocating after getting trapped in a vertically stacked gymnastics mat while reaching for a pair of sneakers. Suicide Note Revealed After Shocking Death, Indicted! She had a Read More, On Monday, February 13, 2023, VerDaun Bingham, loving wife, mother, and beautiful tender spirit, passed away at the age of 85 with her son Darren Read More, Stephanie Todd was born September 9, 1975 to Mary Jane Nelson Todd and Ronald Todd in Bountiful, Utah and passed away February 16, 2023. "Taylor Eakin lied and claimed to have starting dating three months after the murder in hopes of legitimizing the Bell's alibi. else if ( document.attachEvent ) { document.attachEvent( 'onreadystatechange', func ); } They wouldnt tell me what was going on., Finally, nearly two hours into their search of her apartment, Eakin said, one of the marshals told her, Theres holes in the KJ case that were trying to fill.. However, he declined to disclose what those developments entail. The most perfect date in the Read More, Val LeRoy Harris was born February 23, 1937 to Roy and Lena Harris. if (document.readyState === 'complete') { func.apply(); /* compat for infinite scroll */ } Brian Bells lawyer says the FBI has told him that Brian is in the the clear. Those findings, Anderson, Pollock and the Johnson family said, were ignored by Georgia law enforcement officials. The incident sparked racial strife in the community and gained. Kendrick Johnson was Murdered in what way? Expelled From Law School, Dad Convicted of Mom & Brothers Murder, ismissed a lawsuit filed by Kendrick Johnsons parents, struck Kendrick Johnson in the neck with a 45-pound dumbbell, funeral home never had Kendrick Johnsons organs, several things in motion regarding his sons case, subscribe to the Crime Stories with Nancy Grace podcast, Lowndes County police Captain Stryde Jones, Former Lowndes High School students Brian Bell and Branden Bell, The Bell brothers father, ex-FBI agent Richard Bell, Lowndes County School Superintendent Wesley Taylor, Stephen Wesley Owens, an owner of a transport company, Lowndes County Medical Examiner, Dr. Maryanne Gaffney-Kraft, Rodney Bryan, a death investigator with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Copyright 2020 WALB. But Brandens teammates, his coach and the driver have confirmed he was on a bus headed to Macon for a wrestling tournament. In a letter to the Johnsons attorney, funeral director Antonio Harrington said the 17-year-olds organs were destroyed through natural process due to the position of his body when he died. The family believes Kendrick Johnson was murdered by classmates Brian and Branden Bell, who are the sons of a former FBI agent. In an affidavit Kendrick Johnsons parents provided to WALB in 2018, a witness claimed an acquaintance revealed who killed the high schooler. Meet the people who handle us after death. Harrington also claimed thefuneral home never had Kendrick Johnsons organs, saying they were discarded by the prosecutor before the body was sent back to Valdosta, CNN reported. The Johnsons wrongful death suit claims that an unnamed female lured their son into the gym where he was fatally beaten by the brothers by request of their father. In the end, Credle said, We let them down. And when they see the truth, a wave is going to be unlike anything weve seen., So, his story represents so much more than just the horrendous facts of the case.