Murder: True Crime Stories – Unsolved: The School Gym Murder, Part 1

Podcast: Murder: True Crime Stories
Host: Carter Roy
Episode Date: December 9, 2025

Episode Overview

In this gripping first installment of a two-part series, host Carter Roy explores the mysterious and controversial 2013 death of Kendrick Johnson, a 17-year-old found dead in his high school gymnasium in Valdosta, Georgia. The episode traces the Johnson family’s devastating journey from heartbreak to advocacy, examining the initial investigation, critical missteps, and the beginnings of a community movement seeking justice. Carter Roy focuses on why this case remains unresolved, highlighting the personal impact and the unanswered questions that still haunt Kendrick’s loved ones.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Trust and Tragedy in School

• Carter Roy opens by framing schools as places of trust and safety, emphasizing the Johnson family's lack of fear around Kendrick attending Lowndes High School.
  • “They didn't have fears about sending him to class or worry about him staying late for a basketball game. But when Kendrick never came home one day in 2013, the trust they had shattered.” (00:12)
• The family’s ordinary expectations are transformed into a nightmare by Kendrick’s disappearance and the subsequent investigation.

2. Who Was Kendrick Johnson?

• Kendrick is painted as a quiet, well-liked athlete with dreams of going pro in football—distinct for being thoughtful and bringing people together with humor.
  • He was “tall, fit and handsome… more of a listener than a talker,” and “well liked by his classmates and had a reputation at school as a good kid.” (04:25)
• The timeline shifts to the evening of January 10, 2013, when Kendrick failed to come home, prompting his family to escalate from worry to a missing persons report.

3. Discovery of the Body and the Initial Investigation

• On January 11, Kendrick’s body is found, upside down inside a vertical, rolled-up gym mat, his feet visible, face swollen and a pool of blood beneath him. (09:12)
• Detectives find a wad of bloody paper towels in a nearby girl’s bathroom—initially a possible sign of foul play. (10:24)
• Analysis of scattered school surveillance footage is hampered by inconsistent timestamps and technical problems; vital footage is “practically unusable.” (21:59)
  • “There was video of Kendrick entering the gym, but none that showed him leaving.” (10:24)

4. Emerging Suspects and High School Dynamics

• Rumors and social media posts suggest motives and suspects among Kendrick’s peers, some tied to old conflicts.
  • Notably, a student (pseudonym “Charlie”) reportedly posts “when you start messing, the goons bodies start showing up,” fuel for police suspicions. (10:24, 16:08)
• A prior fight between Kendrick and another student, William Clark, and purported threats by William’s brother Sean, become focal points in the investigation. (21:59)
• Alibis, contradictory statements, and racial tensions complicate assessments and community reactions.

5. Official Ruling: Accident or Cover-Up?

• The first autopsy rules the death an accident—specifically, positional asphyxia from being trapped while reaching into the mat for shoes, a “freak accident.” (21:59)
• Kendrick’s parents push back, doubting he could have become stuck or remain undiscovered so long in a busy school.
• Procedural issues arise: the coroner wasn’t notified for five hours, seen as potentially compromising the crime scene. (21:59)
  • "Bill Watson [the coroner] disagreed. He said the five hour wait was improper and that Kendrick's body had been moved, meaning the crime scene had been compromised." (21:59)
• Despite reviewing over a hundred interviews and hundreds of hours of surveillance, authorities close the case as accidental by May 2013. (31:03)

6. Dramatic Revelations and Second Autopsy

• The Johnson family exhumed Kendrick’s body, commissioning an independent autopsy by Dr. Anderson.
  • Shocking discovery: Kendrick’s internal organs were missing—replaced by wadded newspaper. Each responsible party denies removing the organs. (32:55)
  • “Instead of a heart, a pair of lungs and a brain, there were J.C. penney advertisements, letters to the editor, and comic strips.” (33:09)
• Dr. Anderson concludes the original findings are incompatible with the evidence. Key inconsistencies include:
  • Normal lung weight (contradicting asphyxia).
  • Unhealed cuts on Kendrick’s left hand and internal bleeding by the jaw suggest possible blunt force trauma.
  • Dr. Anderson: “Kendrick was likely murdered” and already dead when placed in the mat. (35:56)

7. Community Outcry and Renewed Investigation

• Public outrage erupts. Crowds rally; civil rights leaders (e.g., Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III) and attorney Benjamin Crump pressure authorities to reopen the case. (37:37)
• The family’s failed push for a coroner’s inquest is offset by news that the U.S. Attorney, Matthew Moore, will review the case.
  • “On October 31, 2013, Matthew Moore finally agreed to reopen the case. After 10 months of fighting, the Johnsons had scored a major victory.” (37:37)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the community’s trust:
  “Their child had been failed by the one place he should have been protected.” — Carter Roy (00:12)

• On discovery:
  “Poking out of one of the vertical mats, which stood 6ft tall, was a pair of white socked feet.” — Carter Roy (09:12)

• On the nature of Kendrick:
  “His grandma called him her peculiar grandchild because he was so much quieter than his five siblings.” — Carter Roy (04:25)

• On suspicion spreading via social media:
  “It was something like when you start messing, the goons bodies start showing up... For the detectives, this was a huge red flag.” — Carter Roy (10:24)

• On autopsy findings:
  “Kendrick’s organs were nowhere to be found… Instead of a heart, a pair of lungs and a brain, there were J.C. Penney advertisements, letters to the editor, and comic strips.” — Carter Roy (32:55, 33:09)

• On the possibility of murder:
  “Dr. Anderson believed Kendrick was likely murdered… the reason his lungs were empty of fluid was because he was already dead when he was put inside the mat.” — Carter Roy (35:56)

• On the family’s persistence:
  “The Johnsons held daily rallies in the community and continued to raise awareness for the case through Facebook. With the public pressure mounting, on October 31, 2013, Matthew Moore finally agreed to reopen the case.” — Carter Roy (37:37)

Timestamps for Critical Segments

• 00:12–01:21 – Introduction of Kendrick Johnson & setting the stakes for the story
• 04:25–09:12 – Kendrick’s personal background and the immediate aftermath of his disappearance
• 09:12–10:24 – Discovery of the body; initial reactions and gathering evidence
• 16:08–19:41 – Early suspects, school dynamics, feud backgrounds
• 21:59–28:50 – Autopsy findings, family doubts, procedural missteps, problematic surveillance
• 32:55–35:56 – Shocking details from the second autopsy and evidence of possible homicide
• 37:37–40:03 – Community response, civil rights attention, and federal investigation reopens

Tone and Style

Carter Roy uses a somber, detailed storytelling approach, emphasizing empathy for the victim’s family and community while methodically analyzing the twists and ambiguities of the case. The language is clear, serious, and reflective—focused on raising critical questions without sensationalism.

Conclusion

Part one of “The School Gym Murder” meticulously builds a case for why Kendrick Johnson’s death is not just an unsolved mystery, but a story riddled with controversy, conflicting narratives, and community activism. Listeners are left at a pivotal moment—federal authorities have just reopened the case, setting the stage for deeper revelations and the Johnson family’s ongoing search for truth in part two.