Found Deceased CA - Thomas Jodry, 21, San Luis Obispo, 14 Sep 2019

[kelsie]

$10,000 reward offered for information on the death of Thomas Jodry

https://www.ksby.com/news/local-news/family-looking-for-answers-in-atascadero-mans-death

Family of man who died in fall from parking garage files complaint, continues to seek information

https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article245581595.html

Atascadero residents William and Mary Jane Jodry, the parents of 21-year-old Thomas Robert Jodry who fell to his death on the night of September 14, 2019, are offering a $10,000 reward for information to solving the case of their son’s death.

The parents filed a civil complaint on May 14, against David Allen Knight, 57, alleging that Knight “intentionally and proximately caused the death of Thomas Robert Jodry.” A civil complaint only represents one side of a lawsuit.

In testimony for the case, Knight denied that he had any criminal convictions, but since-expunged court records obtained by The Tribune show that Knight had a felony court conviction in 2003 for molesting a child under 14. Thomas met Knight when Knight purchased a cactus from him. They had communicated for several weeks about their shared appreciation for art. They left Tommy's parents' house to view artwork at Cal Poly, but instead, Mr. Knight took him to the Frog & Peach Pub in San Luis Obispo that night. This is in spite of the fact that Tommy was set up to sign into an alcohol rehabilitation program. He was suffering from depression and anxiety and had a tendency to use alcohol as a means to cope with his demons.

Tommy and David proceeded to drink heavily. Tommy's blood alcohol content at the time of his death was approximately 0.38. Knight paid for all these drinks, and according to reports, Thomas Jodry consumed at least six shots of whiskey paid for by Knight. Tommy tripped outside and hit his face - he was struggling to walk, and fell down multiple times. He dropped his phone, and David followed behind and picked up Tommy's phone. Tommy was trying to run from Knight and yelled, "Help! Someone is after me!"

According to his statement to the police, Knight did not see Tommy alive again. At 9:18 pm, a 911 call for a “possible suicide attempt” was made to the San Luis Obispo Police Department. Within minutes, the officer responding to the call found Tommy on the sidewalk near the southeast corner of Chorro and Marsh. It appeared he had fallen, jumped, or had been pushed from the top of a parking garage. He was bleeding heavily from his ear and mouth and was barely breathing. Tommy was transported by ambulance to Sierra Vista Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 9:49 p.m.

William Jodry asked, “Why would a 50-ish-year-old guy buy six drinks for him in an hour? What was his motivation for not bringing him home and buying six rounds of drinks?” The Jodry’s say they want to learn “the other half of the story.”

It is worth noting that David Knight came out of the shadows to approach the police on scene, and said he knew Tommy but "didn't want that to be noted in the report". David then went to visit Tommy's parents and tell them to call the hospital to check on their son. You can read about their conversation on the Justice for Thomas site.

Tommy had a passion for cultivating and selling cacti. He had recently broken his elbow badly and it required surgery, he couldn't ride a bike or comfortably drive a vehicle at the time of his death. He was looking forward to healing so that he could resume white water rafting, going to the beach, and taking his friends along in the new truck he purchased with his business sales. He also had plans to go back to college.

His death was initially ruled as a suicide, but the manner has been listed as undetermined. Did he fall to his death? Was he pushed? Was it accidental or intentional? His parents need answers.

His parents say on the Justice for Tommy website,
He was a deep thinker and very intelligent. Everyone who really knew him remembers him this way. He always had time to listen to people, and people have often commented on his kindness.
The circumstances of Tommy’s death were disturbing, to put it mildly. It is precisely these peculiar circumstances which have inspired us to start this website.

Mary Jane Jodry said, “Our family is broken. We are all struggling with his loss. It’s very hard on his sister and brothers.”

Tommy's obituary: Thomas Jodry (1997 - 2019) - Obituary

John Lordan's video about Thomas:

Thomas' Facebook: Justice for Thomas
Justice for Thomas Website: Justice For Thomas

 

[kelsie]

From the Justice for Thomas site:
At 8:05 pm*, Knight texted the words “ you" to Thomas's phone. Knight later explained that he sent the message to verify that Tommy was receiving his text messages. (Why Knight chose to say “ you" in the text message instead of something like, “Testing...1, 2, 3," was not explained.) According to Knight, Tommy didn't look at his phone and did not otherwise acknowledge the text message.*

At about 10:20 pm, there was a knock on our front door. It was Knight, and he immediately asked me if I remembered him. I said, “Yes, but where is Tommy? I've been trying to call him." Knight said, "I have his cell phone," and he handed it to me. I asked him why he had Tommy's cell phone and Knight replied, "I found it on the ground. He must have dropped it." I then invited him into the house. Knight told my wife and I a little of what happened that evening with Tommy. He told us he lost Tommy somewhere downtown and then he heard police sirens. Knight told us that he went over to the scene near the parking garage. He told us that he saw someone on the ground that looked like Thomas but the police refused to give him any information when he approached them.

My wife and I were crying and screaming after we received the news. While we were crying, we saw Knight rocking back and forth on the couch saying, “How could Thomas do this to me?” I told Knight that he should leave, and I suggested to Knight that he come back the next day and tell us more of what had happened to Tommy. (Knight did not return or even call us ever again.)

My wife then called her brother to take us to the hospital. Her brother, who lives very close, arrived within three minutes. In the meantime, Knight was still in our living room. My brother-in-law said to Knight, “What's going on here?" Knight responded coldly, "He's dead.” When he repeated the question, Knight repeated, “He's dead!” in an even sharper tone.

I then told Knight to leave. My brother-in-law told me that Knight ran to his car.

 

[kelsie]

https://www.sanluisobispo.com/article247572270.html

This article is super duper long so I tried to just copy over the important parts here

Man accused of causing fatal SLO parking garage fall hid molestation conviction, records say

Since-expunged court records obtained by The Tribune show that David Allen Knight of Atascadero has a felony court conviction from 2003 for molesting a child under 14 — after a witness told authorities Knight provided alcohol to the minor during a camping trip.

A budding photographer, Jodry met up with Knight, who says he used to operate a photography studio, on Sept. 14, 2019, with a plan to view art but ended up at a bar drinking five to six shots of whiskey bought by Knight within an hour, Jodry’s parents say.

Footage from the bar shows that Jodry and Knight had a falling out, his parents say, and Jodry left the bar abruptly. Shortly thereafter, witnesses told 911 dispatchers they saw a person lying on the sidewalk after falling from the parking structure on the corner of Chorro and Marsh streets.

But further investigation by the coroner led the county to change its ruling on Jodry’s manner of death from suicide to “undetermined” in January 2020 due to an absence of any evidence, including garage surveillance cameras, to help investigators determine for certain whether Jodry intentionally jumped, accidentally fell or was pushed.

Knight also unsuccessfully requested a judge’s order to prevent the Jodrys from continuing to wage a social media campaign pursuing information about their son’s death, including asking the community for information about Knight.

Bill and Mary Jane Jodry accuse the San Luis Obispo Police Department of conducting a shoddy investigation into their son’s death, and say the police reports shared with them show that Knight walked up to an officer at the scene of the fall but said he didn’t want his name published in any reports.

According to a criminal complaint, Knight was charged in April 2003 with felony counts of continuous sexual abuse of a minor and oral copulation of a person under 16. The complaint alleges that between 1993 and 1996, Knight engaged in three or more acts of “substantial sexual conduct” with a child under the age of 14.

The report states that, in December 2002, the Atascadero Police Department conducted an investigation after speaking to a victim whose name and gender are redacted, as is Knight’s relation to the victim.

The victim told authorities that Knight masturbated with the victim between 15 and 30 times and orally copulated the victim on two occasions. After the victim told Knight they were uncomfortable, the activity stopped when the victim was 15 years old, the report says.

The officer [on the case] wrote that Knight’s crime “involved great violence, great bodily harm, threat of great bodily harm, or other acts disclosing a high degree of cruelty, viciousness, or callousness.”

That report also states Knight has a 1997 conviction for misdemeanor disturbing the peace, which the report says “pertains to the same victim/victim’s family.”

Another record shows that in October 2007, Knight successfully motioned the court to reduce his felony oral copulation conviction to a misdemeanor.

 

[kelsie]

Pictures from the night in question, also a picture of the parking garage.

 

[kelsie]

https://www.sanluisobispo.com/opinion/editorials/article237130184.html
Cameras could have provided answers in young man’s death — SLO should put them in parking garages

 

[kelsie]

Thomas Jodry's Parents Still Seeking Justice
Important quote w/ some new information:

While at the bar, Knight opened a tab. Within one hour, Thomas had multiple drinks, including Knight’s.

As seen in a security video, the two sat at the bar. Knight is seen to be switching his drink with Thomas’s—never to consume his own drink.

Two men are seen sitting on one side of Thomas and Knight, and another man is sitting on the other side—a few seats separating them.

Also seen in the video is Knight trying to pull Thomas’s head down to his crotch by the bill of his hat. A still photo from the video shows the moment right after. The two men sitting next to Thomas are looking over at him, appearing to have heard something. It appears Thomas then looks at the two men saying something.

Knight closed their tab, paying with his credit card, at around 8:55 p.m. Their bill was reportedly over $100.

Thomas was then seen tripping and faceplanting on the sidewalk just outside the bar.

It is then reported that Thomas struggled to walk roughly a block eastbound along Higuera to the pedestrian walkway between the former Gap store and Downtown Centre Cinemas. Thomas then fell again and dropped his phone, which Knight recovered.

According to Knight’s statement to the police, he did not see Thomas after this.

Several witnesses recall seeing Thomas running from Knight, asking for help and saying someone is after him.

Around 9:15 p.m., a bystander called 911 to say someone had fallen, and an ambulance was sent to the scene.

Police officer body camera footage shows a man—later identified as Knight—approaching the officer attending to Thomas. Knight asked the officer what happened, and after the officer asked him to stop, Knight said, “I know him, that is Tommy, but I don’t want to be on record that I know him.”

Knight informed the officer of Thomas’s name and where he lived but would not identify himself or provide further information.

Moments later, Knight walked away and sent a text message to Thomas saying, “Where are you.”

Shortly after, Thomas was transported by ambulance to Sierra Vista Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 9:49 p.m.

His blood-alcohol level was reported to be approximately 0.38 at the time.

~
A vigil was recently held in memoriam.

 

[cvaldez1975]

that story is very sus.

 

[Vail]

A guy who was so used to alcohol that he was going to check in to rehab is falling down drunk after 6 shots? Hard to believe. But a rufie would do that. I haven't watched the brainscratch yet but I'm curious if tox was ever run and if it showed ghb or other drugs.