Joanne Johnson, 93, murdered in her Augusta, Kansas home, September 2023

[SMK777]

I thought the same thing when I first read it, too. Their emphasis was on making sure THEIR good name wasn't smeared in anyway. Really inappropriate. Their PR person needs some sensitivity training. JMO IMO

It looks like they were concerned with liability issues re 2 murderers at the school, and potential harm. Warding off litigation looks to be their sole focus in the statement. And yes, it lacks sensitivity, certainly.

 

[acehard]

That is an odd statement from the school and, honestly, rather cold.

jmo

The police arrested them while they were at school, one year after the incident. The school is distancing themselves from the arrest. I don't think it's odd. If the police arrested them at home, the school would have said nothing IMO

 

[SMK777]

The school is distancing themselves from the arrest

I’m sure their attorneys made this a priority, which is their job.
If they said anything sympathetic to the victim, it might be misconstrued as culpability regarding the two teens, now that I think about it. MOO

 

[Seattle1]

I’m sure their attorneys made this a priority, which is their job.
If they said anything sympathetic to the victim, it might be misconstrued as culpability regarding the two teens, now that I think about it. MOO

Seems to me at 14, the suspects are first year students in HS and who were not students at the school on the date of the murder. I could be wrong -- I did not attend American HS.

And what culpability falls on a school with no reasonable knowledge of the crime or suspects. IMO, the parents of students have no claim to superior safety than Mrs. Johnson's own neighbors who have lived in fear for nearly a year.

That said, I'm sure if the school had suspended the girls and barred them from attending in anticipation of arrest, the suspects would have sought millions $$ -- claiming their civil rights violated. Let's be real, the impact of their brutal actions impacted the entire town -- not just a school starting its first calendar year. MOO

 

[TTF14]

Seems to me at 14 the suspects are first year students in HS and who were not students at the school on the date of the murder. I could be wrong -- I did not attend American HS.

The superintendent would be over all of the schools in the school district - all elementary schools, middle school(s), and high school. It's also possibly middle school and high school are in the same building/on the same campus. Sometimes they are.

IMO MOO

 

[mickey2942]

So interesting how society has changed. 40 years ago, I did a graduate research paper on juvenile crime. There wasn't much hard core crime at that time. 1984. And almost nothing about teen girls committing murder.

2024, routinely, every day almost we read about juvenile crimes, even girls as young as 13, committing horrific murder. Assaults, car jacking. Really interesting.

I had developed a model then, of rehabilitation and education to help change their path. I don't think that would work now.

 

[SMK777]

So interesting how society has changed. 40 years ago, I did a graduate research paper on juvenile crime. There wasn't much hard core crime at that time. 1984. And almost nothing about teen girls committing murder.

2024, routinely, every day almost we read about juvenile crimes, even girls as young as 13, committing horrific murder. Assaults, car jacking. Really interesting.

I had developed a model then, of rehabilitation and education to help change their path. I don't think that would work now.

Do you think it’s from increased drug use, or breakdown of the family, or what?

 

[azure]

Juvenile crime is actually steeply declining, you're just reading about it more.

"The violent crime offending rate declined 70% from 17 crimes per 1,000 juveniles ages 12–17 in 2005 to 5 crimes per 1,000 in 2021."

SOURCE: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey and Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reporting Program, National Incident-Based Reporting System.

Childstats.gov - America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2023 - Youth Perpetrators of Serious Violent Crimes

The official website of the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. The site provides easy access to the forum's annual monitoring report, America's Children, other Forum's reports, national- and state data on children and their families collected and published by various...

www.childstats.gov

"In 2021, there were about 123,000 serious violent crimes committed by youths between the ages of 12 and 17 in the United States, an increase from the year before. However, this is still a significant decrease from 1994 levels, when violent crimes committed by youths hit a peak at over 1.05 million serious crimes."

U.S. - number of serious violent crimes by youth 2021 | Statista

In 2021, there were about 123,000 serious violent crimes committed by youths between the ages of 12 and 17 in the United States, an increase from the year before.

www.statista.com

 

[acehard]

Do you think it’s from increased drug use, or breakdown of the family, or what?

Increase in population and social media letting us know everything from everywhere instantly. Crime is historically down.

 

[SMK777]

Increase in population and social media letting us know everything from everywhere instantly. Crime is historically down.

I guess that must be true, if statistically it’s decreasing.

And it’s true, before the internet and social media many crimes would be published locally only. We see them now on YouTube and Websleuths and all social media platforms whereas in the past we would never have known about them.

 

[j_in_c]

It is odd to me that initial reports stated they believed she died of natural causes due to age and now it is believed to be very young offenders with an axe. Did they originaaly think it may have been a fall?

I hope LE has been exceptionally thorough in their investigation and have really solid evidence before laying these charges. I am surprised the two accused would be able keep this quiet at their ages, but sadly a horrific crime committed by such young offenders is not unprecedented

 

[Cryptic]

That is an odd statement from the school and, honestly, rather cold.

I agree, it is sterile. At the same time, they are probably being asked alot of questions about the students and the alleged crime. Some of those questions may simply be fishing for anything the inquirer considers to be "juicy".

So, the school responds with a dry, but factual summary of:

We do not know anything about it. We cannot comment on anything. The crime is not related to the school, nor were those arrested students here at the the time- good bye.

 

[mickey2942]

Do you think it’s from increased drug use, or breakdown of the family, or what?

I don't know. But it is not like looking at a "micro lens" of time from one year to the next. This is almost half a century ago. I am that old.

I stopped teaching school in 2009. It wasn't fun any longer. I spent more time trying to figure out what type of placement and programming was appropriate for children who had severe behavior disorders. If they don't go to juvenile hall, where do we put them? They were literally too violent for neighborhood school placement.

 

[Seattle1]

It is odd to me that initial reports stated they believed she died of natural causes due to age and now it is believed to be very young offenders with an axe. Did they originaaly think it may have been a fall?

I hope LE has been exceptionally thorough in their investigation and have really solid evidence before laying these charges. I am surprised the two accused would be able keep this quiet at their ages, but sadly a horrific crime committed by such young offenders is not unprecedented

I read that too (natural causes) and believe it was likely an early quote that was taken out of context. For example, when a 93 year old parent fails to answer the phone for a day or two, it would be reasonable to expect the result of a welfare check might find your loved one expired of natural cause.

Today, I trust the victim's family most recent statement. IMO, an axe murder, bat, stabbing, take your pick, would indeed be heinous acts. Anxiously waiting for the charging documents.

(To be clear, allegations of a "rusty axe" is attributed to comment by a suspect, not by LE). MOO

The victim's family acknowledged their unfamiliarity with the young suspects, emphasizing the heinous nature of the crime and their belief in stern repercussions regardless of the culprits' ages.

 

[Seattle1]

In my state, incoming juvenile offenders are outnumbering those leaving the facility. To my knowledge, this is the first time the state has ever had to suspend accepting inmates-- leaving the convicted in County jail. Not discounting the surveys. Simply stating reality.

Green Hill’s population is about 30% above capacity, jumping from 150 youth in January 2023 to 240 in June 2024, the agency said. Echo Glen, which houses boys from ages 11 to 17 and girls and women from 12 to 25 years old, isn’t built to house older adult males.

WA suspends intakes at two youth detention centers • Washington State Standard

Washington will temporarily stop taking in sentenced youth at its two juvenile detention facilities as the state struggles with overcrowding.

washingtonstatestandard.com

 

[Seattle1]

Defense attorney offers legal insight after Augusta teens arrested for murder

www.kwch.com

 

[airportwoman]

I agree, it is sterile. At the same time, they are probably being asked alot of questions about the students and the alleged crime. Some of those questions may simply be fishing for anything the inquirer considers to be "juicy".

So, the school responds with a dry, but factual summary of:

We do not know anything about it. We cannot comment on anything. The crime is not related to the school, nor were those arrested students here at the the time- good bye.

I'm sure they have information we don't know about. I didn't find it "cold" at all.

 

[Cryptic]

How do two such girls find one another? Or, was one a clear instigator and the other just a follower?

I suspect that it could be either possibility.

As you alluded to, a certain number of criminal partnerships involve a dominate partner. The level of dominance can be slight or very noticeable.

There is probably also a possibility of "snowballing" where two perpetrators can be violent as individuals, but turn murderous together due to feeding off each other.

As a side note, one investigator felt that "snowballing / feeding" was a factor in the Charles Ng / Leonard Lake serial killing team in California. No clear dominate partner. Dangerous as individuals, but horrific as a partnership after feeding off each other. As the investigator noted, they were no longer killing purely for personal gratification, but also to impress the other partner.

 

[charminglane]

I suspect that it could be either possibility.

As you alluded to, a certain number of criminal partnerships involve a dominate partner. The level of dominance can be slight or very noticeable.

There is probably also a possibility of "snowballing" where two perpetrators can be violent as individuals, but turn murderous together due to feeding off each other.

As a side note, one investigator felt that "snowballing / feeding" was a factor in the Charles Ng / Leonard Lake serial killing team in California. No clear dominate partner. Dangerous as individuals, but horrific as a partnership after feeding off each other. As the investigator noted, they were no longer killing purely for personal gratification, but also to impress the other partner.

Yes, @Cryptic, I just finished Nothing But The Night, about Leopold and Loeb--same feeding off each other elements.

 

[GRT]

The girls appeared befor a judge, but they haven't been charged yet.

https://www.ksn.com/news/crime/teens-arrested-in-augusta-womans-death-appear-in-court/