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. Over the years, the Johnsons have publicly implicated brothers Brian and Branden Bell in Kendricks death. Bells family subsequently requested a copy of the analysis in which members of their family are identified. Both brothers say they did not see Johnson on the day that he died. VALDOSTA, Ga. In a partially redacted analysis report containing previously unreleased photographs, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has concluded former Lowndes High student Brian Bell and another student unrelated to Bell were at another part of the campus when Kendrick Johnson was last seen going into the schools old gym. The federal government were recused from the situation. But Kendricks family were left with many unanswered questions. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation medical examiner concluded that he died from positional asphyxia, meaning his body got stuck in a position in which he couldn't breathe. Kendrick Johnson's parents filed a $100 million lawsuit against 38 people. Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson sit beside another in Finding Kendrick Johnson [Image: Millennial PR]In March, the Lowndes County Sheriffs Office announced they were reopening Kendricks case to ensure the initial investigation was conducted properly. 'We have nothing to hide. Similar to Kendricks mother, Tills mother, Mamie Till Mobley, wanted to call attention to what happened to her son, so she held an open-casket funeral and allowed Jet magazine to publish photographs of her childs disfigured and bloated corpse. A surveillance still shows Kendrick (front) in his high schools gym before his disappearance [Image: Lowndes County Public Schools]Kendrick vanished at Lowndes High School around 1:20 p.m. on January 10, 2013. The two suspected parties were found innocent, and subsequent lawsuit charges against them were dropped. Nobody called a US marshal or the FBI for him. 'I want everyone to know the truth. Everything you should know, 10 most famous QVC hosts who were fired or left the channel, Chris Rock's family: ex-wife, girlfriend, children, parents, siblings, Is NBA Youngboy in jail? Local newspaper Valdosta Today reported that those children claimed, when questioned by police, that theynever saw or heard Kendrick in the gym. Ladson said he's concerned that devices seized from the family include communications that are protected by attorney-client privilege in relation to the civil lawsuits surrounding Johnson's death. While presenting the case to the public in October 2014, Lieutenant Stride Jones explained why they could not test every student. Kenneth said within an hour and a half of that conference authorities called him and said he could see Kendricks body at the local Crime Lab. 0 following. Get the news that matters from one of the leading news sites in Kenya, Kenyans Share Hilarious Memes, Frustrations as KPLC Announces Nationwide Power Blackout, Xtian Dela's Mum Cries Bitterly As She Begs Son to Come Home, Says She's Not Seen Him in 4 Years, Rachel Ruto Appeals to Kenyans to Be Patient with Husband William: "Serikali ni Mzuri", Linet Toto's Dowry: 7 Delectable Photos from MP's Negotiation Ceremony, Where is Marie-anne Thibaud now? Jim is a Hollywood actor who became a popular entertainment figure in the 1980s after starring in the sitcom Too Close for Comfort. The 2014 FBI analysis of school surveillance footage was first made public in February, but the names of two persons of interest, who were the subject of the report, were redacted. Who would want Kendrick dead? He is one of the most outspoken actors in the 80s films. Phones and computers belonging to Brian and Branden Bell, their father, FBI agent Rick Bell, their mother and Brian Bells girlfriend were all seized, according to theAtlanta Journal Constitution. The suit alleges the boys' family conspired with former Lowndes County Sheriff Chris Prine and county school officials to cover up the death. James A Clark, 72 of Brandon, MS passed away Wednesday, March 1, 2023, at the Baptist Medical Center in Jackson, MS. Jacquelyn believes that someone first posted the image with malicious intent. The case is the subject of a new documentary, Finding Kendrick Johnson, based on a four-year undercover investigation into a tangled web of allegations, new evidence and alarming questions over authorities handling of the tragedy. Dr. William R. Anderson wrote in his June 2013 report that Kendrick suffered blunt force trauma, right neck, involving right mandible, and soft tissues, including the area of the carotid body, consistent with inflicted injury. The second independent autopsy, that Dr. Anderson also performed, yielded the same findings with the report explicitly stating that their findings were not consistent with positional asphyxia, which was Georgia officials final determination. The allegations regarding the state of Johnsons body are consistent with accusations a witness made in an affidavit filed in August 2017. Thats all they want.. Sheriff's investigators long ago concluded Johnson died in a freak accident, getting stuck upside down inside the mat and unable to breathe. Students who did not want to pay for a locker reportedly used the mats to stow their personal items. 05:58 GMT 18 Aug 2015 The Johnson family also pursued various civil lawsuits without success; they were even countersued and face potential legal costs of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Lowndes County Sheriffs Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined Johnson died from positional asphyxia after he became stuck, squeezing himself into a rolled up gym mat while reaching down into the mat to retrieve a shoe. Through interviews, police documents, and forensic evidence, Finding Kendrick Johnson illustrates how a 17-year-olds disappearance and death sparked years worth of investigations, controversies, and a possible cover-up. (Tuesday) at 3:30 am, the Bell family was awakened at their home by government agents, executing search warrants in a federal grand jury investigation about the death of Kendrick Johnson which is almost 2 years old a case in which no one has been indicted and in which there is no evidence to implicate involvement of the Bells or any member of the Bell family, said the familys attorney, Brice Ladson. The Bells countersued Johnsons parents in March. The other person of interest was located in the parking lot headed towards J-Wing at 1:28 p.m. Johnson and the two persons of interest were travelling in opposite directions towards their respective fourth block classes and likely did not cross paths. Its not Kendricks blood, now we do not know whose blood it is. CrimeOnlines continuing coverage of the Kendrick Johnson case, blood splatter located 40 feet from Kendricks body, blunt force trauma, right neck, involving right mandible, Kendricks organs were returned to his body following the autopsy, Five decades later, Emmett Till accuser recants claims, Rick Bell, was an FBI special agent who ultimately resigned, subscribe to the Crime Stories with Nancy Grace podcast. He was just like the funniest person ever. The news outlet reported that evidence released in Johnsons case includes 17 boxes of documents, computer towers, and computer drives. He also stated the funeral home never had Johnsons organs, saying they were discarded by the prosecutor before the body was sent back to Valdosta, according to CNN. And they can ridicule me and they can say whatever they want, but in the end the truth will prevail. Brian Bell and Branden Bell were classmates of Kendrick Johnson. The Lowndes County Superior Court Senior Judge Richard Porter dismissed the lawsuit, touring lawyer Chevene King of fabricating evidence. Johnson's family believes he was murdered by Brian and Branden Bell, the sons of an FBI agent, and the brothers' friend Ryan Hall. The brothers father, As Pollock explained to CrimeOnline, the bombshell evidence did not come from an anonymous source or undercover sleuthing it was plainly stated in the FBIs 2014 analysis report. The Bells denied the allegations in their counterclaim, 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.. By And they can ridicule me and they can say whatever they want, but in the end the truth will prevail. And one of the suspects was Brian. Brian Bell and his older brother, Branden, had been targets of suspicion in Johnson's death. If closure, whatever that means, is even possible, it still eludes her. Watch popular content from the following creators: Luwieeee (@1uwi3_), Hailey(@hailey_madison927), jaynie Savage(@clickclock99), James Rio Betts(@madisonhill807), Tahj Summer Woods(@tahjsummerwoods) . The county medical examiner concluded Johnson died of positional asphyxia and deemed his death accidental. Police stopped a vehicle Friday morning for a traffic violation and contacted the driver, 32 year old Brian Bell of Millsboro and the passenger - 27 year old Brandon Bell of Frankford. A private pathologist found haemorrhaging beneath the skin of Johnsons jaw and neck and concluded he suffered a fatal blow near his carotid artery that appeared to be non-accidental. Rose said the inquiry has 'cost taxpayers too much money and the families too much grief and caused the community too much confusion.'. The suit accused the Bells and another LHS student, Ryan Hall, of being involved in Kendricks death. In it, the . Pollock said, Its up to the national pressure. However, video footage shows Brian Bell and Hall elsewhere in the school when Johnson is believed to have died; Branden Bell was at a wrestling tournament in Macon at the time, according to the Atlanta Journal . Bell, a three-star linebacker recruit from Valdosta (Ga.) Lowndes High,. If a Black person goes missing its just like they dont really care. Subsequent testimony placed Branden Bell on a school bus headed to a wrestling tournament in Macon at the time Johnson was last seen alive, while surveillance cameras showed his younger brother Brian was in class, across campus. In 2015, the Johnson family filed a wrongful death suit against brothers Brian and Branden Bell, and another peer, Ryan Hall, who they allege are responsible for Kendrick Johnson's death. 31 followers. The three teens were classmates. We are calling on President Biden and his team to review the malpractice at the FBI and the DoJ with the Kendrick Johnson case and unless Washington DC starts looking at this case, the state of Georgia is never going to deal with this. The 2018 autopsy was the second independent autopsy in Johnsons case. According to CNN, funeral director Antonio Harrington claimed the 17-year-olds organs were destroyed through [the] natural process due to the position of his body when he died. because the lungs fill with fluid, causing death. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation medical examiner concluded that he died from positional asphyxia, meaning his body got stuck in a position in which he couldn't breathe. 'We have nothing to hide. 'Me and my brother have been innocent and will always be innocent. Kenneth also said lacerations and bruising to his sons face made him think Kendrick was in some sort of fight. The killers were never brought to justice but the searing image was galvanising for the civil rights movement. Kendrick Johnson case: Feds seize emails, phones - CNN.com, Gym mat death investigators seize phones, computers of FBI | www.ajc.com, Teens at center of Kendrick Johnson investigation deny | www.wsbtv.com. Its up to us to move the needle for KJ, because they are never going to do it down there.. [Featured image: Kendrick Johnson/Facebook, Family photo], 6-Year-Old Girl, 2 Adults Critically Wounded by Gunmen Looking for the Little Girls Father, Juror: Alex Murdaugh Convinces Himself of His Own Lies, Detroit Man Charged With Killing Friends Tot Daughter, obtain evidence in Kendrick Johnsons case, subscribe to the Crime Stories with Nancy Grace podcast. But a forensic pathologist hired by Johnson's family determined the teen's death was the result of a homicide, saying he found evidence of 'unexplained, apparent non-accidental blunt force trauma'. Though surveillance cameras were located all over campus, the last footage of Kendrick shows him walking into the gym behind other students before going out of frame. The films producer, Jason Pollock, told CrimeOnline that he spent six years examining Kendricks case; an independent investigation he said authorities did not know about. As Kendrick lay dead in the gym, the basketball and color guard teams held their night practices. My whole family is hurt because they treated us like were the ones who have committed a crime and instead were the victims, Jacquelyn reflects. 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. No findings of that investigation have been released. The man in question had already served prison for making untrue allegations. The FBI has concluded Brian Bell was headed towards the D Wing for his fourth block class at the time Johnson was entering the schools old gym, according to the report. The film doesnt come to a conclusion. 05:58 18 Aug 2015, updated 16:09 18 Aug 2015. He also stated the funeral home never had Johnsons organs, saying they were discarded by the prosecutor before the body was sent back to Valdosta for burial. They then hired a private coroner who determined the cause of death to be a result of blunt force trauma to the upper neck on the right. The three teens were classmates. 1 title per month from Audible's entire catalog of best sellers, and new releases. Others named Brian Bell. Ladson said the items that were seized contain privileged communications between himself and the family, including conversations that focused on defamation suits filed against Ebony Magazine, its publishers and members of Johnsons family. Funeral director Antonio Harrington claimed the 17-year-olds organs were destroyed through [the] natural process due to the position of his body when he died. My dad is always like ''It's going to get worse before it gets better'' and it just keeps getting worse.'. As Kendrick lay dead in the gym, the basketball and color guard teams held their night practices. Subscribe. An all-white jury acquitted Bryants husband and brother-in-law within an hour. During an interview with WSB-TV 2, the boys say they were friends with Johnson and had nothing to do with his death. Nobody else matters.. Despite his death being ruled accidental, Lowndes County police initially said they did not immediately test some blood splatter located 40 feet from Kendricks body. The case was closed after Brian Bell's statement on Kendrick Johnson refuting the murder claims. But so is the manner of his death. There were strange gaps in surveillance footage from the gym. He said the shot of him in a white sweater, which lead many to speculate that it appeared to have blood on it, was actually just a logo that said 'RLX'. Brian and Branden Bell, white classmates of Kendrick, were reportedly considered persons of interest in the FBI investigation. Be the first to get hottest news from our Editor-in-Chief, Check your email and confirm your subscription. Ladson said he's concerned that devices seized from the family include communications that are protected by attorney-client privilege in relation to the civil lawsuits surrounding Johnson's death. Since then, many have been questioning the whereabouts of Brian Bell. The brothers were never charged and an FBI video analysis determined they were in different parts of the school when Kendrick went to the gym. He told WCTV, Were starting fresh, so its like a brand new investigation, no predisposed opinions, cant have that.. Florida State has revoked its scholarship offer to Brian Bell, a football recruit who is named in a lawsuit concerning the death of Kendrick Johnson, the 17-year-old who was found dead at Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia, in January 2013. Inside Prince Harry's finances from when he met Meghan Markle to landing 100M with Netflix and book A 14-year-old autistic boy's naive prank. Federal agents on Tuesday seized computers and cell phones belonging to an FBI agent, his wife and their two sons as part of an ongoing investigation into the 2013 death of a Valdosta teen whose body was discovered in a rolled-up gym mat. Whereabouts of Brandi Worley's husband. Both brothers were arrested and charged with drug offenses Brian Bell was also charged with driving with a suspended or revoked license. The show focused primarily on light-hearted hilarious situations between a principal and some high school friends. 'They're extremely upset about this,' Ladson said of the targeted family. Earlier this year Ashley Paulk, a county sheriff in Georgia, reopened the investigation into Kendricks death, saying he was reviewing 17 boxes of evidence collected by federal agents that his office obtained from the US justice department. However, video footage shows Brian Bell and Hall elsewhere in the school when Johnson is believed to have died; Branden Bell was at a wrestling tournament in Macon at the time, according to the Atlanta Journal-Consitution. In October 2013 a federal criminal civil rights investigation was announced, leading to interviews with almost a hundred people, but the justice department closed the case in June 2016, saying investigators found insufficient evidence to support federal criminal charges. Ill never let them forget, Jacquelyn told filmmakers. Im going to stay hopeful and Im going to stay prayerful that one day the truth will come out., The memory of Kendrick is with her constantly. He was born Monday, July 17, 1950, in Itawamba County, Mississippi. 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His parents have repeatedly claimed their son was the victim of foul play, and accused officials of partaking in a mass coverup that involves the FBI, local police, and the school district. And the truth always comes out,' Branden Bell told the network. Sheriffs investigators closed the case four months later, concluding that Kendrick died in a bizarre accident while reaching for a shoe inside one of the mats. The Sheriff instantly realized the tape was faked after he confessed, identifying him as the source. Brian Bell, a star college football player, said he broke down when his dorm room was raided last month. Dont do it with any villains involved. They saw that report in 2014, they saw that photograph of the boys standing next to each other and they let the Bells go television and say they hadnt seen KJ, Pollock told CrimeOnline. Phones and computers belonging to Brian and Branden Bell, their father, FBI agent Rick Bell, their mother and Brian Bells girlfriend were all seized, according to theAtlanta Journal Constitution. We dont know what happened. His career spans decades, as he has been part of the entertainment industry since the 1980s. The Johnsons have rejected that conclusion and have made repeated claims their son was murdered by classmates and the incident was covered up by numerous local and state officials. Jacqueline is sceptical of that effort but says: I remain hopeful. Bell does not appear to be on Instagram. As the film highlights, Jacquelyns willingness to share the harrowing image of her son evokes Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black boy lynched in Mississippi in 1955, whose mother decided to have an open casket so the world could see what had been done to him. In the document, the interviewee alleged he was told that Johnsons organs were removed and replaced with newspaper to conceal his actual cause of death. 'It's all rumor, innuendo and suspicion not evidence that any of these clients had anything to do with the tragic death of Kendrick Johnson.'. U.S. Attorney Michael Moore of the Middle District of Georgia announced a federal investigation into Johnson's death in October 2013. Were not trying to support any conspiracy theories but were just trying to show the facts that were giving the light of day. The family believes Kendrick Johnson was murdered by classmates Brian and Branden Bell, who are the sons of a former FBI agent. I could start and stop my list with this record. 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. Credle is also shown the report and says he also has never been seen this footage despite being the federal investigator reviewing Kendricks case. By: Brian Lumley. We cant even really begin to grieve or mourn because of the fight weve had to endure.. 'I broke down and cried, honestly,' he said. Facebook gives people the power to share. Many speculations were raised on who killed him. Austin said Kendrick got the best of Brian. The brothers accused in a civil lawsuit of killing Kendrick Johnson have counter-sued the parents of the Valdosta teen whose body was discovered more than two years ago in a rolled-up gym mat. Yall going to see., The bright shard of memory darkens. However Johnson's family are convinced he was murdered and have filed a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit naming brothers Brian and Branden Bell as the ones responsible for violently assaulting Johnson. Kendricks arm was nestled over his head, suggesting officials did not bother to lay his arms straight, the father said. Thereafter the two brothers fatally beat him and placed him on a mat. Here's everything you need to know, Veronica Montelongo: Everything to know about Armando Montelongo's ex-wife, 20 celebrities who weigh 140 lbs and their heights in 2023, Where is Brandon from Married At First Sight today? 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.'. Paulk said the reopened investigation will involve reinterviews in addition to consulting with other law enforcement agencies to ensure nothing was missed or incorrectly reported during the initial probe. Hoyer originally signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State in 2009. Subsequent testimony placed Branden Bell on a school bus on the way to a wrestling tournament at the time Johnson was last seen alive. Brian and Branden Bell have been targets of suspicion in Johnson's death since shortly after his body was found upside down in a vertically stored gym mat at Lowndes High School on January. (Their father, Rick Bell, was an FBI agent who resigned after his house was raided for evidence. Kendrick missed his fourth-period class and did not come home from school, prompting his family to file a missing persons report that night. Emmitt Till alongside his mother, Mamie Till Mobley [Image: AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis]An all-white jury acquitted Bryants husband and brother-in-law within an hour. The second autopsy made another shocking discovery: Kendricks internal organs were missing and paper had been stuffed into the cavities (the fate of the organs remains unknown). Name Brian Bell. Photographs included with the report include adjusted time stamps to make up for discrepancies between the schools multiple video surveillance systems. Before the Kendrick Jackson lawsuit, Brian was an athletic student. Branden Bell was with the wrestling team on a trip to Macon, 153 miles away. My dad is always like ''It's going to get worse before it gets better'' and it just keeps getting worse.'. Johnsons family believes he was murdered by Brian and Branden Bell, the sons of an FBI agent, and the brothers friend Ryan Hall. In the documentary, Kendricks parents claimed Lowndes County police barred them from seeing his body for three days. I Googled stuff, he said. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Their father, Rick. In March, the Bells countersued Kendrick's parents, Kenneth and Jackie Johnson, who filed a wrongful death suit earlier in the year alleging a vast cover-up implicating the GBI, local law enforcement and school officials. Credle was called in after several local authorities recused themselves from the case which many believe was due to the primary persons of interest being the sons of an FBI agent. Where is Charlie Tan now, and what happened to his mother and brother? He is undertaking his university studies and was acquitted of the murder charges. Jacquelyn and Kenneth Johnson have repeatedly accused officials of partaking in a mass coverup that involves the FBI, local police, and the school district. The unclassified report is dated Sept. 9, 2014 and contains the FBIs analysis of Lowndes High School hard drives containing surveillance footage from Jan. 10 and Jan. 11, 2013, including footage that has not been made available to the public. Listen to the latest episode: Join Nancy Grace for her new online video series designed to help you protect what you love most your children. While Brian told the media that he considered Kendrick a friend, Austin, another one of Johnsons friends, alleged that a year before his death, Brian and Kendrick had an altercation on the bus as they headed to a football game that was being played out of town.