Crime Junkie
Crime Junkie
"Every true crime story has one thing in common. Nothing is as it seems." — Ashley Flowers
"The gym mat's shoe theory doesn't work. There is no way a teenager would dive head first into a mat propped up in the corner of the gym to get a shoe, while holding his headphones in his hand." — Anonymous (from video clip)
"With all the discrepancies of evidence, testimonies, and witnesses, we call bullshit on the official story, so has the federal prosecutor who opened an investigation in October 2013." — Anonymous (from video clip)
This episode meticulously dissects the death of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson, who was found deceased inside a rolled-up gym mat at Lowndes High School in 2013. The official explanation from authorities was positional asphyxiation, suggesting Kendrick died accidentally while reaching for a shoe stored within the mat. However, the podcast meticulously details the myriad of inconsistencies and questionable aspects of the initial investigation that led Kendrick's family and a significant portion of the public to believe foul play and a subsequent cover-up were involved.
The narrative highlights several key pieces of evidence and procedural issues that fuel these doubts. These include the physical impossibility of Kendrick's body fitting into the 14-inch diameter opening of the mat when his shoulders measured 19 inches, the unusual placement of his shoes within the mat, and a particularly graphic post-autopsy photograph of Kendrick that the family presented as evidence of a beating. Furthermore, the discovery of bloodstains in the gym and girls' bathroom that did not match Kendrick, the alleged mishandling and loss of crucial evidence such as his organs and clothing, and the inconsistencies surrounding surveillance footage from the school all contributed to a widespread perception of a flawed investigation.
Despite the official conclusion of an accident and the Department of Justice ruling that there was insufficient evidence for federal criminal charges, the case remained contentious. The podcast touches upon the family's theory involving other students, the involvement of the hacktivist group Anonymous which amplified the case online, and subsequent autopsies that indicated blunt force trauma. The episode concludes by underscoring the ongoing debate about the rarity and scientific validity of positional asphyxiation as a cause of death and the persistent questions surrounding Kendrick Johnson's final moments, emphasizing the enduring power of doubt when faced with seemingly inexplicable circumstances and official narratives that fail to satisfy.