ABC eyes unsolved Johnson murder

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Donna Johnson was brutally murdered in 1984. The crime remains unsolved.

ABC eyes unsolved Johnson murder

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Crime

Tuesday, March 16. 2010

Comments (32)

ABC News is working with Vidocq Society forensic psychologist Richard Walter and The Herald-Gazette regarding a possible episode on the 1984 murder here of Donna Johnson.

Walter spent considerable time here in 2005 working on the case and developed a suspect. He said he remains frustrated his findings were never presented to a grand jury.

For more on this story, see the 3.16.2010 print/e-edition of The Herald-Gazette.

Defined tags for this entry: Breaking News, Crime, donna johnson, gbi, mayhem, richard walter, unsolved murder, vidocq society

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#1 Anonymous on 03/16/10 at 07:12 AM [Reply]

i wonder if anyone will ever look into the Ann Morgan case again?.strange how both cases happened with in a few of months of each other.

#1.1 mary on 03/16/10 at 12:57 PM [Reply]

I HOPE WHEN THEY FIND THIS PERSON THEY JUST GO AHEAD AND PUT THEM TO DEATH. DONT WASTE TAX PAYERS MONEY ON A TRIAL.THEY DONT DESERVE THE PUBLICITY.

#2 Arlene Ringrose on 03/16/10 at 07:22 AM [Reply]

I can only pray this will help. The family has always needed resolution.

#3 margaret mccook on 03/16/10 at 08:10 AM [Reply]

I would love for this murder to be solved. I remember when it happened....I was a child, but I still remember. I lived near the "murder scene" and it took years for me to get over the shock and fear of it all. I hope they can find out who did this.

#4 Anonymous on 03/16/10 at 09:11 AM [Reply]

Hopefully ABC will "air" this unsolved case seeing as if our D.A. won't try the case. Her family needs some closure and peace. The person responsible has been free long enough.

#5 Anonymous on 03/16/10 at 10:00 AM [Reply]

They have evidence the lazy DA wont do anything.

#6 wally on 03/16/10 at 10:07 AM [Reply]

there are people that know who commited this crime.the good ol boy network can keep it covered up only so long.

#6.1 Where are they now!!!! on 03/17/10 at 07:21 PM [Reply]

Just like the pipe bombs that were put around town!! Cover up!!!!!

#6.2 tracey on 04/15/10 at 11:04 AM [Reply]

i couldn't agree more. The sad thing is, some of the good ole boy network involved in that case may not even be around anymore. any cover up that was done at the time (i don't know bout the donna johnson case but i know for sure the ann morgan case was "swept under the rug") may be even harder to prove than finding out what happened to the two women. Ann didn't run away, and she didn't leave her child behind. I fully believe her life was taken and anyone who knew her knows why. Hell, everybody who knew her knows why and they even told the police. Sadly, little effort was made to find her or what happened to her. I don't know too many facts about the case, i was married to someone in that family and i knew a couple of her best friends. I heard so much talk of people speculating on what happened to her and every story was nearly the same. I even sent emails to the GBI and never heard back. I'm almost positive they will never find her especially if what everyone thinks happens to be true.

#7 lizzybegood on 03/16/10 at 10:49 AM [Reply]

Great. Hopefully, the media exposure will lead to a conviction. Will any suspects be named?

#8 Anonymous on 03/16/10 at 12:31 PM [Reply]

Sadly the only hope for the family is for ABC to air this story and the work of Mr. Walter and the Vidocq Society and their professional expertise given to this case in 2005. Maybe if ABC brings this story into the medial spotlight and shows the lack of concern by our local DA and his unwillingness to present the evidence to a grand jury that something will be done so that there can be closure for the family and justice for Donna. This family deserves peace and closure related to Donna's death and Donna desrves for her murderer to be known and prosecuted for their wrongdoing. Bring the media on and let it be known on national TV the injustice that has been done to Donna and her family. Please pray for closure and peace and for HIS will to be done in this brutal murder that remains unsolved even though there is evidence there to proceed to a grand jury.

#8.1 Anonymous on 03/16/10 at 07:25 PM [Reply]

A-MEN!!!!!!TO THAT AND THAT ALSO GOES FOR THE ANN MORGAN CASE THAT WAS UNSLOVED TOO.

#9 Prayer on 03/16/10 at 12:38 PM [Reply]

Father GOD, In the Blessed Name of Jesus Christ:

Lord, Your Word says that nothing is lost in You. I pray that that Ms. Donna Johnson's life is not lost in vain. Father GOD, You are Omnipresent, You are everywhere and only You and the murderer know at this point what happened the fateful day of Ms. Johnson's brutal attack and murder. My prayer is that through Your Omniscience (All Knowing Being) You will reveal to the authorities the individual or individuals responsible for this cruel and unusual act of against humankind. Arrest them, O Lord, and bring them to justice.

Jehovah Shalom, I pray for peace for the family and I pray for the conscious of the individual responsible for this heinous slaying to be discouraged and unsettled to the degree that they/them will do what is right and come forward and turn themselves in.

Father, thank you for the peace that surpasses all understanding. You are an Awesome GOD and I believe that you are able to do exceedingly and abundantly above anything that we can ask or think. I love you Lord and I give You all the praise, all the glory, and all the honor in the Blessed Name of Jesus Christ.

Thank You so much Lord in advance for the closure that You will bring to this family and this young lady in the year of 2010...

Amen! Hallelujah for justice at last!!!

#9.1 Anonymous on 03/16/10 at 01:59 PM [Reply]

Thank you for your prayer. This prayer says it all. Keep praying!

#10 Yes Lord on 03/16/10 at 02:41 PM [Reply]

Amen! Let's have some church! Where do you worship?

#10.1 Prayer on 03/17/10 at 08:36 AM [Reply]

I live in another state. I am originally from Barnesville, Georiga and lived there when this crime was committed. It has always haunted me.

#11 Anonymous on 03/16/10 at 02:52 PM [Reply]

I hope that when all this comes out, the officials who kept this covered up will be punished, too.

#12 just my thoughts on 03/16/10 at 03:41 PM [Reply]

Did they preserve DNA back then? Bet if the guilty party is still out there this was not the last of his crimes. The only thing I can imagine worse than loosing a child would be to never have closure. The family deserves this and I hope the time has finally come.

#13 smart person on 03/16/10 at 03:48 PM [Reply]

Funny how the DA is being blamed for the shortcomings of local law enforcement in 1984. Y'all realize that he didn't become DA until 1999. The problem with the case is lack of evidence. Always has been. Ronald Smith murdered someone in our community and he was punished within a year. This was the result of a coordinated effort between local law enforcement, the GBI and the DA's office. I'm know I'm talking over most you idiots heads, but I just find it funny that you accuse the DA of trying to cover something up, when you should be pointing the finger at whoever was sheriff at the time.

#13.1 Anonymous on 03/17/10 at 12:29 AM [Reply]

Frank Monaghan was the sheriff then. If you’re so smart you should check your spelling and grammar...stupid

#13.2 Sheila Tolley on 06/04/10 at 06:04 PM [Reply]

If the DA is not presenting this case before a grand jury, then he is exactly who is to be blamed. The current DA is the current DA. What does he have to lose? If it were your family member, would you be more concerned? Probably not, family does not matter much anymore. Murder will be a misdemeanor after a few more elections. Since Miss Beulah is with Donna now, maybe something positive will happen. I hope I live to see the guilty party (parties) brought to tough justice. I hope anyone who has contributed to this delay is processed through the criminal system just as if they had been part of the crime. BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN. If you truly know facts and have not told them, shame on you.

#14 Anonymous on 03/16/10 at 05:03 PM [Reply]

Ive heard rumors of a few ppl that are "persons of interest"

#15 Anonymous on 03/16/10 at 07:00 PM [Reply]

I heard that any possible DNA evidence was destroyed at the crime scene due to horrible work by law enforcement and everyone else that was envolved.

#16 Anonymous on 03/17/10 at 01:00 AM [Reply]

two of the guilty four are already dead!

#16.1 Anonymous on 03/17/10 at 03:15 PM [Reply]

and who might that be?

#17 Anonymous on 03/17/10 at 01:59 AM [Reply]

Now that we have gotten all that off our chests, where is the coverage of the grier smith arrest?

#18 Anonymous on 03/17/10 at 07:55 AM [Reply]

Now that we've gotten all this off our chests, where is the coverage of the Grier Smith arrest?

#19 the trurh on 03/17/10 at 11:18 AM [Reply]

look up a guy by the name of Franklin d. Floyd--hes on death row in Fla.and is a good bet to be the killer of Donna or Ann or even both.

#20 anon on 03/17/10 at 02:03 PM [Reply]

Hey Walter where is the Grier Smith story?it was on wsb 2 today.

#21 anon on 03/17/10 at 09:50 PM [Reply]

james trice saw a pick-up the same morning on the road that she was killed. there were three men in the truck. several hours later at a red light in griffin he run into the same truck. he believed at first that they had gone to the sell barn in upson co. he noticed it was a north georgia tag number. he called and talked to jerry torbert and a GBI and gave it to them. At the time he did not know that she had been killed.

David Moxon

#22 Anonymous on 03/28/10 at 08:47 PM [Reply]

I have heard the story about Donna since I was a small child. From what I heard the two people that killed her was Terry P. (deceased) and Jr D. (deceased) As the story was told Jr. was hired to kill Donna. Jr forced Terry to help him and Terry lived with that guilt the rest of his life. He would often get drunk and tell the story about the killing, but no one took him seriously because he was after all a known drunk. Jr supposedly had some of Donna's body parts that he cut off pickled in jars and put in his storage called the "meat wagon." I do not know if this story was the absolute truth, but one thing I do know is that years ago when this case was first mentioned again Jr all of a sudden commited suicide.

#23 Anonymous on 03/28/10 at 09:11 PM [Reply]

The persons of interest i have heard about are still around barnesville and still employed as far as I know. No need for me to mention names because hearsay and specific names wont make it past the moderation. If it isnt true then the issue of slander could be brought up. I will say that one persons last name starts with a " S ". I know that really narrows it down but thats all im saying.

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