Current:Home > StocksSheldon Johnson, Joe Rogan podcast guest, arrested after body parts found in freezer-LoTradeCoin
Sheldon Johnson, Joe Rogan podcast guest, arrested after body parts found in freezer
View Date:2024-12-23 19:47:13
A man who became a public advocate for criminal justice reform after being released from prison last year was arrested on a murder charge Thursday after police said they found a person's body parts inside a New York City home.
Sheldon Johnson, 48, was jailed without bond Friday morning on charges including second-degree murder, New York City Department of Corrections online records show.
The victim's relationship with Johnson was not immediately known, but the New York Police Department identified the victim as 44-year-old Collin Small.
Johnson also faces charges of manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon, the NYPD told USA TODAY.
4 friends. 3 deaths, 2 months later:What killed Kansas City Chiefs fans remains a mystery
Body parts found in freezer during welfare check
Police said officers responded to Small's Bronx home to conduct a welfare check on Tuesday night and found a headless torso in the apartment.
Responding paramedics pronounced the victim dead at the scene and officials later identified him as Small.
The Office of Chief Medical Examiner will determine Small's cause of death, police said.
Gruesome crime:Murder suspect stalked homeless man before killing him with ax, Seattle police say
Collin Small reportedly shot to death, dismembered
According to CBS New York, police said Johnson shot Small and dismembered his body.
"A search of Johnson's Harlem apartment revealed the remainder of the body − the arms and the head inside a freezer," the outlet reported.
“I’m innocent,” Johnson shouted as he was led out of a police station after his arrest, the New York Daily News reported.
Sheldon Johnson appeared on 'The Joe Rogan Experience'
Johnson, who works with at-risk youth at the Queens Defenders in New York, appeared on an episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience" in February alongside Josh Dubin, a civil rights attorney and the executive director of the Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice.
In the episode, Johnson said he grew up in Harlem and lived in a completely deaf household.
At the time of the podcast, Johnson told Rogan he'd been out of prison for nine months and spoke about his advocacy work. He said he entered prison as a high-ranking member of the Bloods after selling drugs and being arrested in an assault case but later separated his ties from the gang around 2005.
“I really said: I have to change my life. I have to change my life. I just can’t do this,” Johnson said on the podcast. “I had a wife, I had kids, I had family still, my son was growing up. He was hearing stories of my so-called notoriety. I just didn’t want to be that dad.”
USA TODAY has reached out to a Rogan spokesperson.
Sheldon Johnson previously served time for attempted murder, robbery
New York Department of Corrections records show Johnson was convicted of charges including attempted murder and robbery in 1999.
After spending 25 years in prison, he was released from an upstate prison on May 4, records show.
It was not immediately known if Johnson had obtained an attorney on the new charges.
Johnson is slated to appear in court Monday on the charges, records show.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
veryGood! (661)
Related
- It's cozy gaming season! Video game updates you may have missed, including Stardew Valley
- Michael J. Fox gets out of wheelchair to present at BAFTAs, receives standing ovation
- Vermont governor seeks disaster declaration for December flooding
- Beyoncé's new hair care line is finally out: Here's what to know about Cécred
- Army veteran reunites with his K9 companion, who served with him in Afghanistan
- First federal gender-based hate crime trial starts over trans woman's killing
- 12 alleged cartel members killed by Mexican soldiers near U.S. border
- Paul Skenes found fortune, fame and a 100-mph fastball. Now, Pirates await No. 1 pick's arrival
- Who will save Florida athletics? Gators need fixing, and it doesn't stop at Billy Napier
- Abraham Lincoln pardoned Biden's great-great-grandfather after Civil War-era brawl, documents reportedly show
Ranking
- 12 college students charged with hate crimes after assault in Maryland
- New Hampshire considers greatly expanding scope of settlement fund for youth center abuse victims
- Chynna Phillips says dad John 'blindsided' her on eve of her wedding with Billy Baldwin
- Man accused of killing wife sentenced in separate case involving sale of fake Andy Warhol paintings
- It's Red Cup Day at Starbucks: Here's how to get your holiday cup and cash in on deals
- Proof Meghann Fahy’s Romance With White Lotus Costar Leo Woodall Is Blooming
- William Byron launches Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary season with win in Daytona 500
- Abraham Lincoln pardoned Biden's great-great-grandfather after Civil War-era brawl, documents reportedly show
Recommendation
-
25 monkeys caught but more still missing after escape from research facility in SC
-
Disney Channel Alum Bridgit Mendler Reveals She's a Mom—and a Space Startup CEO
-
EPA puts Florida panthers at risk, judge finds. Wetlands ruling could have national implications.
-
Jimmy Graham to join 4-person team intending to row across Arctic Ocean in July 2025
-
Old Navy's Early Black Friday Deals Start at $1.97 -- Get Holiday-Ready Sweaters, Skirts, Puffers & More
-
US Supreme Court won’t hear lawsuit tied to contentious 2014 Senate race in Mississippi
-
Does Portugal Have The Answer To Stopping Drug Overdose Deaths?
-
A puppy is found dead in a backpack in a Maine river. Police are now looking for answers.