in regard to not allowing due process and literally murdering this man.Women need to think about what they are doing murdering men's lives and careers and killing them outright now. Women have declared war on men and there will be consequences now in many many directions. I'm just grateful to be almost 70 and out of the line of fire because many are going to die now. This is only the first likely on all sides.
begin quote from:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/14/us/kentucky-state-lawmaker-death/index.html
Kentucky lawmaker found dead after sexual assault allegations
Story highlights
- State Rep. Dan Johnson's death is a probable suicide, coroner says
- Authorities had reopened a sexual assault investigation against him
(CNN)A
Kentucky lawmaker accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in 2013
died in a probable suicide Wednesday, a day after he denied the
allegations.
Republican
state Rep. Dan Johnson was found dead of a single gunshot wound near
Mount Washington, Bullitt County Coroner Dave Billings said.
He
drove onto a bridge in a rural area southeast of Louisville, parked and
shot himself in front of his car, Sheriff Donnie Tinnell told CNN affiliate WDRB.
Shortly
before his death, he posted a rambling message on social media, denying
the sexual assault allegations and urging his family to stay strong for
his wife.
Relatives became
concerned after seeing the post and reached out to law enforcement, who
pinged Johnson's phone and later discovered his body, according to
Billings.
Billings
confirmed the probable suicide, and said he was called to the scene
around 7:30 p.m. Authorities discovered his body in front of his truck
and a 40-caliber semi-automatic handgun nearby, he said.
CNN has reached out to the Bullitt County Sheriff's Office and the Kentucky governor's office, but has not heard back.
Investigation reopened
Just 24 hours before his death, Johnson denied the sexual assault allegations detailed in a lengthy investigation by the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting.
His
accuser said the alleged sexual assault took place in the early hours
of New Year's Day in 2013 when she was 17, according to the center's
explosive investigative report published Monday. The accuser, identified
as Maranda Richmond, is now 21.
She
said she was staying in a living area of Louisville's Heart of Fire
Church, where Johnson served as pastor, when he drunkenly kissed her and
fondled her underneath her clothes, according to the investigative
report.
Richmond reported the
incident to authorities in April 2013, and the Louisville Metro Police
Department initially opened an investigation, but closed it without
charging Johnson, according to the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting.
The
Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting got its hands on police
documents on the alleged sexual assault, and interviewed Richmond,
leading to its story on how Johnson allegedly forced himself on her when
she was a teenager.
On Tuesday, a
day after the center published its report, Johnson denied the
allegations, saying Richmond was motivated by his political opponents.
"This
allegation concerning this young girl absolutely has no merit," he
said. "As a matter of fact, some of this I heard yesterday for the first
time as I read the story."
The
same day Johnson held a news conference, Louisville detectives reopened
the investigation, according to the Kentucky Center for Investigative
Reporting.
Social media post
Johnson posted a message on his Facebook page Wednesday evening, saying
the accusations "are false" and 'only God knows the truth." The post
appears to have been deleted.
"GOD
and only GOD knows the truth, nothing is the way they make it out to
be. AMERICA will not survive this type of judge and jury fake news.
Conservatives take a stand," his post read.
"I
LOVE GOD and I LOVE MY WIFE, who is the best WIFE in the world ...
9-11-2001 NYC/WTC, PTSD 24/7 16 years is a sickness that will take my
life, I cannot handle it any longer."
Johnson
had claimed that he helped give the last rites to victims of the
September 11, 2001, attacks, according to the Kentucky Center for
Investigative Reporting.
Officials mourn Johnson
The report of the alleged sexual assault was not the first time Johnson made national headlines.
He won the 49th District State House race in Kentucky last year despite his Facebook posts that compared former President Barack Obama and first lady, Michelle Obama, to monkeys. At the time, he shunned calls for him to drop out of the race -- and ultimately won the election.
Fellow lawmakers mourned his death Wednesday night.
"Saddened to hear of tonight's death of KY Representative Dan Johnson," Gov. Matt Bevin tweeted Wednesday night.
Republican Sen. Rand Paul tweeted he's praying for Johnson's loved ones.
"Just terrible news from
Kentucky tonight on the passing of Rep. Dan Johnson," he said Wednesday.
"I cannot imagine his pain or the heartbreak his family is dealing with
tonight."
Michael Skoler,
president of Louisville Public Media -- which runs the Kentucky Center
for Investigative Reporting -- expressed sadness at his death and said
they grieve for his loved ones.
"Our aim, as always, is to
provide the public with fact-based, unbiased reporting and hold public
officials accountable for their actions," he said in a statement. " As
part of our process, we reached out to Representative Johnson numerous
times over the course of a seven-month investigation. He declined
requests to talk about our findings."
An autopsy is planned for Thursday, Billings said.
No comments:
Post a Comment