Kendrick Johnson: The Court refuses to reject the process to investigate the Gymnastics of Adolescents

Atlanta – A federal court of appeal asks a court in Georgia to reconsider a decision that rejects a trial filed by the parents of a teenager from Valdosta found dead at his school over a decade ago.

In 2013, Kendrick Johnson’s body was found in a vertical carpet In the Sports Hall of Lowndes County High School by its classmates.

The legal issues related to Johnson’s death and the subsequent investigation have been running for years. While a court judge decided that the family trial should be rejected, the latest decision of the United States Court of Appeal for the 11th circuit said that the verdict should be reviewed.

Death process Kendrick Johnson

Backstory:

On January 11, 2013, the students found the Cadaver Kendrick Johnson, 17, in the gymnasium at Valdosta High School and alerted a gymnastics teacher.

Lowndes county sheriff’s investigators concluded shortly afterwards, Johnson died in a strange accident, stuck upside down and could not breathe as he tried to recover a shoe that fell inside the carpet. vertical.

Johnson’s parents have long insisted that someone had killed him and that school officials and law enforcement have covered the crime. The family has cited bruises for the right jaw of their son and the brands they claimed are in accordance with the prongs with garbage near the teen’s wrist.

Finally, the federal authorities did not provide answers in 2016, when they closed the investigation into the violation of Johnson’s civil rights. The Department of Justice has launched a statement stating that investigators “found sufficient evidence to support federal criminal charges.”

In 2021, the sheriff in Lowndes County, Ashley Paulk, opened the investigation again due to the public examination. In his Synopsis of the filePaulk said that investigators continued to believe that the adolescent’s death was accidental and that there was no unpleasant game.

“I am sure there will be a contingent who will think it was a bad game,” Paulk wrote. “I encourage everyone to study all the evidence in this file before forming an opinion.”

As a result of this investigation, Kendrick’s parents filed a $ 1 billion trial Compared to the office of Lowndes County Sheriff, Crime Laboratory, GBI, Lowndes County Education Council (which I call the “School Council” in their trial) and an unnamed agent with the Federal Investigation Bureau.

“We will continue to fight for Kendrick, because his life mattered,” Jackie Johnson said after he submitted the trial.

Dig deeper:

While the defendants tried to reject the trial, officials say that Johnsons tried to file a modified additional complaint, which was eliminated by the district judge, Leigh Martin May.

Johnsons then asked May to recuse, accusing her of prejudices or prejudices related to the case. May denied motion and rejected the process.

In her dismissal, May wrote that “the sheriff’s office, the crime laboratory and the school council were not legal entities capable of being sent to court,” the court of appeal wrote in his decision. The other two defendants, GBI and the FBI agent, were protected by the 11th amendment or, respectively, the lack of information identification.

“Regarding the new requests proposed against the new defendants, the court found that some defendants were entitled to immunity, while requests against the new defendants were supported only by conclusive accusations of conspiracy,” said the court of appeal. .

Johnsons then appealed to the decision at the Superior Court.

What do they say:

In his judgment last week, the federal federal appeal committee with three judges decided that May was right not to refuse.

“Johnsons did not show that the district judge abused her discretion refusing to refuse,” the opinion shows. “Neither Johnsons’ statement, nor their information identifies any extrajudicial source of sufficient bias to justify the appeal. Rather, Johnsons complain about the administration of the judge, the calendar and the adverse decisions. But these issues do not establish the type of prejudice or injury that would require the judge’s recusal. “

However, the group decided that while the law of Georgia does not allow specific agents, such as the sheriff’s office or the school council could apply to.

Given that the incorrect name could be resolved, the decision should be re -evaluated to throw the case regarding this technicality, the judges supported.

What follows:

Judges have decided that the case should be sent back to the US North District of Georgia for reconsideration.

An indefinite one later, Johnsons’s lawyers and the defendants will be able to argue again, giving the trial another chance to move on.

Georgiaws