What you should know
- A welfare check Tuesday night led to the gruesome discovery of a dismembered man in an apartment on Summit Avenue in Highbridge, according to police. Officers found a human torso and foot in a plastic container.
- Police officials said a concerned neighbor reported hearing gunshots from the unit and saw a man entering and exiting the building several times during the night, carrying various cleaning supplies.
- The suspect was identified as Sheldon Johnson, who previously spent 25 years in prison for attempted murder when he was a high-ranking member of the Bloods gang.
NEW YORK — A criminal justice advocate who boasted about turning his life around after being released from prison (appearing on shows and on Joe Rogan’s podcast) was arrested Thursday on murder charges, accused of a brutal crime that shocked a Bronx neighborhood.
A welfare check Tuesday night led to the gruesome discovery of a dismembered man in an apartment on Summit Avenue in Highbridge, according to police. Officers found a human torso and foot in a plastic container.
Police officials said a concerned neighbor reported hearing gunshots from the unit and saw a man entering and exiting the building several times during the night, carrying various cleaning supplies. Surveillance footage from outside the apartment’s front door showed a man carrying cleaning supplies and a full black trash bag.
The suspect was identified as Sheldon Johnson, who previously spent 25 years in prison for attempted murder when he was a high-ranking member of the Bloods gang. Since his release from prison, the 48-year-old had spent his time working with the Queens Defenders office, speaking about his efforts to reform and helping other children distance themselves from gang life.
He was a guest on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast in February, where he talked about his time in prison.
“Prison does two things to you: It brings out the best in you or it brings out the worst in you,” Johnson said at the time.
Law enforcement sources told NBC New York that after seeing Johnson on surveillance footage, they searched his apartment and found the victim’s legs, arms and head in the freezer. He was arrested and charged with murder, manslaughter and possession of a weapon.
As he was led out of the police station in handcuffs, Johnson shouted to reporters: “I’m innocent.”
The medical examiner has not yet determined the cause of death for the victim, identified as 44-year-old Collin Small.
According to sources, there may have been a dispute between Small and Johnson stemming from their time together in prison.
The Queens Defenders office did not respond to requests for comment.
An investigation is ongoing.
2024-03-08 00:44:48
#Horrible #discovery #headless #torso #leads #arrest #exconvict
