Rhonda and Coran Johnson
Rhonda Johnson was determined. Her schedule was demanding to say the least, but she was getting it done. By the fall of 1996, 18-year-old Rhonda was taking a full course load at Norwalk Community Technical College, where she majored in mass communications. She had also taken a part-time position as a dietary aide at Stamford Hospital where her mother, Blanche, was also employed. In addition to her already bustling agenda, Rhonda was a wonderful mother to her son, Coran, whom she had given birth to just six months prior.
Things had not been simple or undemanding when Rhonda discovered that she was pregnant in her senior year of high school, but she possessed an unshakable resolve. Rhonda gave birth to Coran in March, graduated with her class at Westhill High School in June, and even attended her senior prom. She unrelentingly pushed on despite her obstacles and committed to succeeding– for her and for her son. It would be a difficult path, especially since she navigated it mostly alone. Her relationship with Coran’s father was a complicated one.
Coran’s father was not Rhonda’s steady high school boyfriend as everyone had initially assumed, but rather another young man with a less than stellar reputation in the neighborhood in which Rhonda grew up. Confirmatory blood tests affirmed Coran’s father to be a man by the name of Andre Messam. Andre and Rhonda were old friends and had engaged in a single rendezvous that would have momentous consequences. Upon learning of his parentage, Messam had quite antipathetic feelings about being a father. Being in a steady relationship with another woman at the time, Andre seemed to be unwilling to tell his girlfriend or her family that he had a new child. He had also been paying Rhonda for Coran’s babysitter, which was a point of contention as he wanted nothing to do with the baby. Both were common subjects of dispute; Messam would eschew responsibility and defer telling the truth for as long as he was able. But the two had amicably determined that Messam would tell his girlfriend and family about Coran at his birthday party on September 15th. Rhonda and Andre would meet up on the 12th for the subsequent babysitting money.
The morning of September 12, 1996 was a fairly average one in the Johnson home. In the first instance, Blanche Johnson had considered calling out of work, but had changed her mind at the insistence of her daughter. She prepared for her day and went off to her job at the hospital. The day was scheduled to proceed just like most weekdays; Rhonda would drop Coran off at the babysitter’s and she would head to class. She would pick up her son around 3:00 p.m. and meet with her mother as she was leaving work. Rhonda would then start her shift at 4:00 p.m., and Blanche and Coran would go home. But when 4:00 p.m. came and went and there was no sign of Rhonda, Blanche feared something was terribly wrong. Her earliest presumption was that her daughter and grandson had been in a motor vehicle accident on their way to Stamford Hospital. The actuality would far exceed Blanche’s worst fears.
On September 12th at roughly 8:00 p.m., a woman walking her dog on Grenhart Road in Stamford passed by a parked vehicle. This was not uncommon on the residential road just off of the highway, but the sight within the car was alarming. On the driver’s side, a young woman lay slumped over the steering wheel. Against the formidable feeling in her gut, the dog walker leaned in to look more closely. What she beheld was outrightly spine-chilling.
Miniscule crimson droplets had diffused over the interior of the vehicle in a fine mist. The young woman on the driver’s side of the blue Toyota Camry had been shot in the back of the head. Behind her in the back seat sat a rear-facing car seat. Inside, lay a motionless baby boy. Two small bullet holes could be seen in his temple.
Police arrived on scene shortly after, collecting a multitude of evidence, but were never forthcoming with what had been taken from the scene. It was not made evident if the murder weapon had been left behind, or what caliber firearm was used. All that was disclosed in the following days were the very obvious certainties; Rhonda and Coran had died of gunshot wounds to their heads and their deaths were positively homicides.
Over the years, no definitive suspects have been named in the murders by investigators, but those closest to the case know that at least a couple have been identified. Police, as well as Rhonda’s family, have publicly asserted that many people know what happened to Rhonda and Coran and fear that cooperation with police would only jeopardize their safety. When you delve deeper into the connections of, and crimes committed by a few local men, it becomes more and more convincing that they may not only be involved, but are entirely capable of keeping those around them silent.
The first rather obvious suspect in the double homicide is the father of Coran Johnson. Appertaining to motive and the fact that he was scheduled to meet with Rhonda on the day of the murders, Andre Messam was undoubtedly looked at as a person of interest. He, in fact, has claimed to have been harassed and “railroaded” by police over the years in regards to the murders. Messam’s documented criminal record exhibits an ample number of arrests and charges including narcotics possession, interfering with an officer, criminal threatening, assault, and most recently, the distribution of heroin in which he was sentenced to prison for more than eight years. With each of these charges came new interviews with investigators, and Messam has lamented that they will not let up in their line of questioning regarding the deaths of Rhonda and Coran. It would be a marvel if Messam could ever elude suspicion given the circumstances, and according to authorities, it seemed early on in the investigation that they believed there was enough evidence to put their primary suspect away. The state’s attorney felt differently, and another person of interest was identified in a Connecticut courtroom just a few years later.
In 2003, a man by the name of Kenneth Brickhouse stood in front of the United States Court of Appeals to combat a denial of the courts to strike just two paragraphs from his “PSR,” or presentence report. The two paragraphs in question are listed under a section in Brickhouse’s report termed “Other Criminal Conduct,” and pertain to the double homicide of Rhonda and Coran Johnson.
These two paragraphs outline the murders in more detail than ever before released to the public by authorities, delineating the way both victims were found, as well as the unique and sparsely seen .25 caliber pistol which had not been manufactured since the 1980’s at the very latest. The report then chronicles that Brickhouse was officially identified as a suspect in October of 1997 and testified before a grand jury in Bridgeport. A few years later, he was questioned by the FBI and submitted to a polygraph examination in which it was determined he showed signs of deception.
As detectives read him his rights, Kenneth Brickhouse professed he had sold the .25 caliber pistol in question to Andre Messam prior to the murders and that he had lied to the grand jury in fear that Andre and his brother, Adrian Messam, would kill him. Andre Messam had paid Brickhouse $100.00 after he gave his false testimony and offered to pay for his legal fees in advance of the court proceedings. Kenneth Brickhouse was polygraphed one more time whilst relaying his new version of events, and again, his results were indicative of deception.
It has now been 26 years since Rhonda and her sweet baby were ruthlessly gunned down. Rhonda’s remaining family still holds out hope for a resolution to the gruesome crimes, but says it has been an unjustifiable period of time since they’ve received any updates from police in the investigation. Rhonda’s mother, Blanche, has in years past done her best to keep her daughter and grandson’s memories alive, fundraising for a respective number of reputable charities in both their names.
Rhonda was an admirable young woman who loved her son more than life itself. It seemed only fitting that they remain together. Rhonda was laid to rest in an undisclosed location many years ago; her baby boy bundled in her embrace for all perpetuity.
***Any tips or related information regarding the murders of Rhonda and Coran Johnson can be forwarded to us at our Contact Page, to the Stamford Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit at: 203-977-4421, or the Connecticut Cold Case Hotline at: 866-623-8058.
