Rose and Touchton say they have reason to believe that the lawyers for Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson have not been entirely truthful in their statements about information they have or have not received from law enforcement and school officials concerning the investigation of how the couple’s son came to be found dead inside a rolled wrestling mat in the old gym at Lowndes High School in January.
The majority of their suspicions arose after a July 25 conference call between Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson, their lawyer Chevene King and approximately 60 NAACP and civil rights leaders from around the state of Georgia, including Touchton who was serving as lead investigator for the Valdosta-Lowndes NAACP at the time.
Web addresses to donation sites were given during the call and people were urged to send money to the family so they could fund the legal fights, but as far as Touchton is concerned, the information they were asking for had already been released.
Touchton was reluctant to come forward and tell her story, but after a private email she sent early in October was widely disseminated around Valdosta by others, she said she felt she had no choice but to discuss the issue publicly. Since doing so, she has received threats from unnamed individuals in the community, but remains hopeful that the family can receive peace over the death of their son.
