We Demand the Dismissal of all Charges against James Johnson

Hon. Michael Easley, Governor of the State of North Carolina

       Hon. Roy Cooper, Attorney General of North Carolina

       Hon. Sarah Parker, Chief Justice, North Carolina Supreme Court and
        Director of the Administrative Office of Courts of North Carolina

We demand that all charges against James Johnson, a young African American man, be dismissed. James Johnson should be exonerated. On the afternoon of June 28, 2004, a shocking and terrible crime occurred in Wilson, N.C. Brittany Willis, a young white woman who had just graduated from high school, was kidnapped at gunpoint from a shopping center, taken to a deserted field nearby, raped and murdered. Her car was stolen. On the same day, Kenneth Meeks confessed to James Johnson. According to Johnson, Meeks admitted that he killed a young woman and stole her car. Mr. Johnson informed the police that Meeks committed the crime. Then, on July 2, 2004, the police arrested Meeks. Meeks told the police he did play a part in the crime. When Meeks learned that Mr. Johnson informed the police, Meeks told the police that Mr. Johnson was directly involved in the rape and murder of Ms. Willis. The police charged Meeks and Mr. Johnson with murder, rape, kidnapping and armed robbery. Later, Meeks recanted his statements implicating Mr. Johnson. In 2005, Meeks told his lawyer and his psychologist that Mr. Johnson was not involved. In April 2006, Meeks pled guilty to first degree murder and other crimes. Moreover, Meeks and Mr. Johnson took polygraph tests. Both tests confirmed that Meeks acted alone. No physical evidence ties Mr. Johnson to the crime and two DNA tests clear him. There are no credible witnesses against Mr. Johnson. Therefore, Mr. Johnson should be exonerated. Accordingly, we urge you to grant the special prosecutor independence to conduct a thorough and unfettered investigation of James Johnson’s case. We demand that all charges against Mr. Johnson be dismissed.

Optional Member Code

First Name*

Last Name*

Email*

City

State/Province Select a state Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware D.C. Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Armed Forces (the) Americas Armed Forces Europe Armed Forces Pacific Alberta British Columbia Manitoba Newfoundland New Brunswick Nova Scotia Northwest Territories Nunavut Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon Territory Other

Zip/Postal Code*

(c)2007 NAACP, 4805 Mt. Hope Drive, Baltimore, MD 21215.