Valdosta, Georgia —On January 11, 2013, the body of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson “KJ” was found in the most unusual of circumstances: upside-down and rolled up in a school gym mat. The mysterious death of Kendrick Johnson was initially ruled an accident by law enforcement, but his family was not convinced. 

The initial autopsy revealed that Kendrick died due to “positional asphyxia” or that he suffocated as a result of being stuck upside-down in an enclosed space for an extended period of time. Just after 24 hours of being found, the investigators ruled Johnson’s death an accident with little to no investigation. 

The Sheriff’s Department claimed that Kendrick must have accidentally fallen into the center of the mat while reaching for a sneaker, which he had stored his shoes in the gym mat, so that he wouldn’t have to pay for a locker to store his shoes. But Kendrick's parents have refuted those claims. 

Kendrick’s parents felt that his death was not being taken seriously, in part because of his race or that there was a larger cover-up at play that included witness tampering, by a former FBI Agent.  There was an alleged fight that took place between Kendrick and The Bell Brothers (Brian and Brandon) to which it was reported that the brothers had beef with Kendrick due to his popularity with the girls at school. 

Check out this week’s episode for more on this case and let me know what you think. Was this a tragic accident or cold-blooded murder? 

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