Kendrick Johnson death update: Family convicted for blocking building during protest
Seven relatives of Kendrick Johnson, the Georgia teen found dead inside a rolled-up gym mat in his high school two years ago, were convicted of unlawfully blocking access to government property when they held a protest in April 2013, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.
Johnson’s parents, Jacquelyn and Kenneth Johnson, along with 5 other family members, were arrested following the protest in which they allegedly blocked access to the entrance of the Lowndes County Judicial Complex.
Kendrick Johnson
The death of their healthy teenager has haunted the family still seeking answers after he reportedly “slipped into a rolled up wrestling mat” and died. The police and school appeared to obstruct the Johnsons’ pursuit of answers and then the coroner’s remarks called several details into question.
The story only gets stranger as his body was exhumed, organs and body parts were missing and the new autopsy pointed to a different cause of death. Full list of stories here on The Dispatch – here.
Chevene King, a lawyer for the Johnson family, has said the protest was part of an effort to obtain official findings pertaining to the death of the 17-year-old Johnson.
“It wasn’t until seven days after that protest that the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department released the investigative file of the teen’s death,” said King.
State Judge Mark Mitchell sentenced them to one year in prison, then suspended the sentence, waived all time served and fines. So essentially, the state was warning the family to no longer block federal buildings.
Federal officials launched an investigation in 2013, but have never delivered any results.
Kendrick Johnson facebook photo
