One year later: Teen’s death in gym mat still a mystery

From the time Kendrick Johnson’s lifeless body was found inside an upright gym mat in his high school’s old gymnasium a year ago this month, his parents and their attorneys have insisted the 17-year-old was murdered. They’ve since expanded their claim to allege a cover-up perpetrated by law enforcement officials.

However, two of south Georgia’s most prominent civil rights activists — organizers of the first major rallies held demanding more transparency from investigators — told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently they have since accepted the official police finding that Kendrick accidentally suffocated after he became trapped in the mat that measures about 6 feet high and 3 feet across. Each was sharply critical of how the Johnson family’s lawyers have handled the case.

To read this story and other articles related to the death of Kendrick Johnson, visit myajc.com or pick up a copy of Monday’s The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.