Sheldon Johnson, an ex-convict turned criminal justice reformer, has been charged with killing, dismembering, and stuffing the dead man's decapitated head into a freezer, Fox News reported. The 48-year-old was in the orbit of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and others due to his work and alleged rehabilitation.
After spending less than a year on the outside after serving 25 years in prison for armed robbery, Johnson may once again find himself behind bars. His short-lived rise to prominence was based on his claims that he came out of jail as a changed man.
Just last month, Johnson spoke with podcaster Joe Rogan about his work with the Queens Defenders legal group, which advocates for changes to the criminal justice system. Johnson was featured in a photo next to a smiling Bragg that was shared on social media.
A criminal justice activist is facing murder charges after cops found a dismembered body inside a Bronx apartment.
Sheldon Johnson, a 48-year-old staffer for the public law firm Queens Defenders, was awaiting arraignment after police made the grisly discovery — a human torso in… pic.twitter.com/vwLvOvD2Pz
— Crime In NYC (@CrimeInNYC) March 7, 2024
Johnson is charged in the shooting death of 44-year-old Collin Small at the man's Bronx apartment on March 5. Officers at the scene found Small's headless torso and a blue bin containing the man's disembodied feet.
Surveillance footage put Johnson in Small's apartment building at the time of the crime. Witnesses saw a man fitting Johnson's description coming in and out of the building several times, possibly to hide evidence and clean up the scene.
Police would later find Small's head in a freezer at Johnson's Harlem apartment. Police were alerted to a possible crime at Small's apartment after neighbors heard a man's voice pleading for his life and then two gunshots.
"Please don't," the man reportedly said. "I have a family."
The New York Post reported that the two men were in Sing Sing prison during the same time, but there's no information about their history. Notably, Johnson had previously claimed to be part of the Bloods gang.
Johnson had been in prison after being convicted of several armed robberies. After his release from prison, Johnson worked at the Queens public defender's office as a client advocate.
With his story of a criminal that had gone straight, Johnson seemed perfect for the job. He claimed that he had begun to "turn his life around" in prison after spending time in solitary confinement.
However, Johnson may not have left behind his life of crime after all. Witnesses who claimed to have seen Johnson in Small's building said the man concealed his identity with a wig while making trips in and out of the building.
If these observations and allegations about Johnson are true, it could mean that he had intent to to harm Small. Perhaps the habits that landed him in prison are difficult to break despite claims from criminal justice reformers about the magic of letting them free.
Criminals are kept behind bars because they are dangerous, and it's difficult to rehabilitate them effectively. There are people who deserve second chances, but it's a decision that should be carefully weighed against the safety of the public.
