TRIGGER WARNING: We will be periodically dedicating an episode to a melanated cold case throughout the season as we hope to shed more light on these stories. In July 2005, Army Private LaVena Johnson was found dead in a tent, while she was serving in Iraq. The initial investigation stated she died of self-inflicted wounds, but her family would later discover that things were not what they seemed. Evidence was later found that suggests LaVena was beaten, burned and sexually assaulted before she died. Her father, Dr. John Johnson who is also retired military, has worked relentlessly since 2005 to get justice for his baby girl. Please click on this episode so that as many people as possible know LaVena’s story.
Sources referenced in this episode
Yahoo Article: https://news.yahoo.com/16-years-later-grieving-family-162100992.html
New York Times Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/03/magazine/military-sexual-assault.html
NPR Audio & Article: https://news.stlpublicradio.org/government-politics-issues/2015-07-19/10-years-later-a-soldiers-family-still-grieves-and-questions-the-armys-version-of-her-death
YouTube Video: https://www.protectourdefenders.com/the-johnson-family-story/

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