Murder in a Military Tent: The Case of LaVena Johnson
In July 2005, 19-year-old Army Private First Class LaVena Johnson was found dead on a U.S. base in Balad, Iraq. The Army ruled it a suicide. Her family has spent nearly two decades saying otherwise.From the very beginning, the official story didnât add up. The gunshot wound was inconsistent with her M16 rifle. Her body showed burns, bruises, and evidence of sexual assault. Acid had been poured on her, gloves glued to her hands, and her body was discovered inside a burning contractorâs tent â details that somehow never made it into the Armyâs report.The Johnson family has fought relentlessly for answers, uncovering documents, autopsy reports, and crime scene photos that point to murder and a cover-up. But nearly twenty years later, the case remains closed, stamped as âsuicide.âThis episode looks at who LaVena was, what really happened to her in Iraq, and why her family refuses to let the truth be buried.Sources:https://exhibits.stanford.edu/saytheirnames/feature/lavena-johnsonhttps://thesource.com/2014/01/21/justice-for-lavena-johnson-raped-murdered-or-suicide-the-evidence-says-one-thing-u-s-military-says-another/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-mar-08-na-women-soldier-suicides8-story.htmlhttps://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2015-07-19/10-years-later-a-soldiers-family-still-grieves-and-questions-the-armys-version-of-her-deathhttps://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-silent-truth-document_b_782798https://www.ntdaily.com/opinion/deaths-of-lavena-johnson-and-others-spotlight-systemic-abuse-within-military/article_6204f0d6-ec3e-5f38-9f52-d3e74e0bf875.htmlï»żFollow me here:âș YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@SerialNapper/âș Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/serialnappernik/âș Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SerialNapper/âș TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@serialnappernik *Go Ad-Free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SerialNapper *I will be in London at CrimeCon UK and I would love to meet you! Use my discount code NAPPER10 for 10% off the ticket price! Visit https://www.crimecon.co.uk/Our Sponsors:* Check out Mood.com and use my code SERIALNAPPER to save 20% off your first order. https://mood.com
Episode Details
About This Episode
In July 2005, 19-year-old Army Private First Class LaVena Johnson was found dead on a U.S. base in Balad, Iraq. The Army ruled it a suicide. Her family has spent nearly two decades saying otherwise.From the very beginning, the official story didnât add up. The gunshot wound was inconsistent with her M16 rifle. Her body showed burns, bruises, and evidence of sexual assault. Acid had been poured on her, gloves glued to her hands, and her body was discovered inside a burning contractorâs tent â det...