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Kendrick Johnson’s gym mat death lawsuit dismissed

The wrongful death lawsuit filed by the parents of Kendrick Johnson, who was found dead in a rolled gym mat has been dismissed by a federal judge.

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Kendrick Johnson's Body
Kendrick Johnson

The wrongful death lawsuit filed by the parents of Kendrick Johnson, who was found dead in a rolled gym mat has been dismissed by a federal judge.

Kendrick Johnson lawsuit dismissed

CNN Reports:
US District Court Judge W. Louis Sands dismissed the case because Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson failed to serve defendants with their amended lawsuit in a timely fashion.

The incident

Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found dead at Lowndes High School in January 2013. A state autopsy determined that Johnson’s death was accidental. His parents believe he was killed.

Johnson’s parents filed the $100 million lawsuit against dozens of local and state officials in January 2015. The suit named Johnson’s former schoolmates Branden Bell, Brian Bell and their father, FBI Special Agent Rick Bell, as defendants of a wrongful death claim.The Bells have denied any involvement in Johnson’s death.

“We’re pleased to see the case dismissed once again. The case was meritless from the beginning and has now been dismissed twice,” said attorney Patrick T. O’Connor, who represents the Bell family.

“The only thing remaining is for the Superior Court of Lowndes County to make an award of attorney’s fees in favor of the defendants,” O’Connor added.

In August 2016, a Georgia judge ordered the Johnsons and King to pay legal fees of several city and county officials named in the suit. Porter has not determined the amount the Johnsons and King must pay.


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Unheard Voices is an award-winning news magazine that started in 2004 as a local Black newsletter in the Asbury Park, Neptune, and Long Branch, NJ areas to now broaden into a recognized Black online media outlet. They are the recipient of the NAACP Unsung Hero Award and CV Magazine's Innovator Award for Best Social Justice Communications Company.

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Crime & Justice

Jam Master Jay’s godson and childhood friend found guilty of murder in 2002 killing of Run-DMC pioneering DJ

Ronald Washington, Jay’s childhood friend, and Karl Jordan Jr., Jay’s godson, were convicted of murder in what prosecutors say was motivated by greed.

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Jam Master Jay murder
Jam Master Jay in 1985 (Photo Credit: Jeff Pinilla • CC BY 3.0)

Two men were found guilty of murder Tuesday in the 2002 killing of Jam Master Jay, the pioneering DJ of the groundbreaking hip hop trio Run-DMC.

2 found guilty of Jam Master Jay’s murder

Ronald Washington, Jay’s childhood friend, and Karl Jordan Jr., Jay’s godson, were convicted of murder in what prosecutors say was motivated by greed and a drug deal gone awry.

Pioneer murdered in 2002

Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell, was shot and killed at a recording studio in Jamaica, Queens, on October 30, 2002.

Jam Master Jay RUN-DMC

Run-DMC

For years, no one was arrested for the slaying, leaving one of the most shocking shootings in music history unsolved.

In August 2020, authorities would finally get a break in the case, unsealing a criminal indictment alleging Washington and Jordan conspired to kill Jam Master Jay in retaliation for a drug dispute.

A third defendant, Jay Bryant, was charged in May 2023 with murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking and firearm-related murder. He has pleaded not guilty and is set to go on trial separately in January 2026.

Witness testimony in Jam Master Jay murder trial

The verdict followed a four-week trial in which jurors heard from several witnesses who recounted the moment the pair killed the legendary DJ inside his 24/7 Studio in Hollis.

A witness, who was at the recording studio that night, testified Washington and Jordan came in armed, and he alleged Jordan shot Jay in the head.

Uriel Rincon was playing the “Madden” football video game with Mizell at the studio when the two were ambushed. He suffered a gunshot wound to his left leg from Jordan, also known as “Little D”.

Rincon, said he had kept the attackers’ identities secret because he was “confused and scared,” reports ABC.

Defense attorneys for the men convicted of murder say Jay Bryant is the real killer

A hat found next to Jam Master Jay’s body contained only Bryant’s DNA, and Bryant was the only defendant seen on a security camera, according to the attorneys.

Washington and Jordan each face between 20 years-to-life behind bars at their sentencing.


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Crime & Justice

Detroit man awarded $10 million after wrongful conviction

Alexandre Ansari was wrongfully serving a life sentence over claims that in 2012 he shot and killed Ileana Cuevas, a 15-year-old girl.

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$10 million wrongfully convicted Alexandre Ansari
Alexandre Ansari (Photo Source: Wolf Mueller Law)

A Detroit man who was wrongfully convicted and incarcerated for over six years was awarded $10 million in damages by a jury.

$10 million for man wrongfully convicted

Alexandre Ansari was wrongfully serving a life sentence over claims that in 2012 he shot and killed Ileana Cuevas, a 15-year-old girl, and wounded two others in Detroit, according to a lawsuit filed by Ansari in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division.

$10 million wrongfully convicted Alexandre Ansari

Alexandre Ansari (Photo Source: Wolf Mueller Law)

“Once I got the verdict back, my heart dropped. And I’m like, ‘Dang, I got to spend the rest of my life in here for something I didn’t do.’ And you know, I tried to kill myself,” Ansari told Linsey Davis on “ABC News Live Prime.”

“It felt like nobody didn’t put all the evidence together to see that I wasn’t the person in the first place. So things started getting overwhelming for me.”

Exonerated

Ansari, 39, was exonerated in 2019 by the Wayne County Circuit Court after it determined that Moises Jimenez, a former Detroit police detective withheld evidence for Ansari’s trial that would have implicated someone else as the shooter, according to the County of Wayne Office of the Prosecuting Attorney.

Jimenez received an anonymous tip that linked the shooter to the Mexican Drug Cartel, according to the complaint that released Ansari.

The officer withheld the evidence from Ansari’s 2013 trial, according to the lawsuit.

Jimenez’s attorneys told ABC News that the former detective claims that he provided all evidence he uncovered during his investigation and plans to appeal the $10 million lawsuit verdict.

There have been no reported arrests connected to the shooting since Ansari’s exoneration. Ansari was wrongfully arrested for the crime when he was 27 years old.


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Crime & Justice

6-year-old stabbed to death in Baltimore

Alan Geslicki, 32, was arrested Wednesday in the Tuesday attack that killed Seron O’Neal.

k covin

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6-year-old stabbed in East Baltimore

A Baltimore man who allegedly fatally stabbed his girlfriend’s 6-year-old son has been arrested and charged, authorities said.

6-year-old stabbed in East Baltimore

Alan Geslicki, 32, was arrested Wednesday in the Tuesday attack that killed Seron O’Neal.

Alan Geslicki

Alan Geslicki (Photo Source: Baltimore Police Department)

Geslicki was arrested shortly after the stabbing following a traffic stop and foot pursuit, officials said.

Geslicki allegedly stabbed the child at the boy’s home in the southwest neighborhood of Morrell Park on Tuesday.

Police said the 6-year-old was stabbed multiple times in the back. He was sent to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Officials are describing the brutal attack  as a “domestic-related stabbing.”

Geslicki has been charged with first-degree murder.

Statement on 6-year-old being stabbed in Baltimore

Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott took to social media Tuesday evening to express outrage at the “absolutely horrific, unthinkable act.”

“I’m devastated by this, and my heart is with the loved ones of this poor child tonight,” Scott wrote on X.

“The person who did this deserves every bit of accountability they will face.”

Investigation

There is an ongoing investigation into the stabbing, according to authorities.

Anyone with information should contact homicide detectives at 410-396-2100.

Anonymous tipsters can call the Metro Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-866-7LOCKUP.


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