A jury trial continued Tuesday for Jaikorian Johnson, the teenager charged with the 2020 murder of 15-year-old Corban Henry. Nearly 20 people testified including some police officers who responded to the three locations involved, witnesses, and the juvenile who was driving the moped that Henry was riding.
Everyone who testified Tuesday was called by Daviess County Commonwealth’s Attorney Bruce Kuegel. Ramon McGee, who is representing Johnson in the case, was able to cross examine each person.
For a recap from the first day of the trial, click here. Brief recaps from each testimony on day two can be found below.
Testimony from OPD’s Jim Parham
Jim Parham supervises the OPD Crime Scene Unit’s collection of evidence. He also gave some testimony on Monday primarily detailing how evidence is collected and entered into the system. He was recalled to the stand to begin Tuesday’s proceedings.
Parham gave more specific details on the process by which evidence in this case was processed. Following collection by OPD, many items were sent on to labs for further analysis such as DNA and ballistics.
Parham said OPD takes numerous photos of anything that may be relevant to the case investigation. Regarding the shooting, Parham said they focused on two locations on W. 5th Street.
Those were the intersection of Castlen and three blocks down at the intersection of Orchard. According to Parham and photos submitted into evidence, there were five casings near the Castlen intersection, and one spent bullet was found near Henry’s body and a moped laying on its side near the Orchard intersection.
During cross examination, Parham said the casings can travel after they are ejected, especially when landing on a hard surface, but noted they were all found in a single lane of W. 5th Street.
Parham went to the scene at Werner Avenue but those evidence items had already been processed.
Testimony from 911 caller Karen Crowe
Crowe, who lives in the 1500 block of W. 5th Street, was reportedly the first person to call 911 regarding the shooting. During testimony Tuesday, she said she was in her kitchen during the incident, but that her husband was outside the entire time. She testified that she heard gunshots and saw flashes, then saw two individuals run toward Kendall-Perkins Park. She said she then called 911.
Upon questioning from Kuegel, Crowe said the moped was “really loud” but that it was at intermittent levels due to speeding up and slowing down. She said she couldn’t remember if that was before or after the shots.
During cross examination, McGee replayed a recording of Crowe’s phone call. She could be heard reporting “about five or six” gunshots. She said during the call that she did not see the color of the moped but it was going “as fast as a moped can go.”
As admitted by Crowe and as heard in the recording, during her 911 call Crowe did not say anything about seeing flashes, about seeing individuals running, or about the moped engine sound going up and down.
Testimony from witness Robert Crowe
Crowe, who lives in the 1500 block of W. 5th Street, testified that he saw the individuals in the incident both before and after the shooting but did not see the actual shooting take place.
Crowe said he was outside doing yardwork around the time of the incident and that he noticed two males walking up the sidewalk on the other side of the road. He said they looked like they might be brothers, and he didn’t think anything looked out of the ordinary.
Crowe said the street lights were too bright to make out many details of what the two people walking looked like but thought they were Black. He said he could tell one was taller and skinnier and appeared to have dreadlocks while the other was shorter and stockier.
While he said the person shot from the sidewalk, Crowe said he didn’t see the actual gunfire and instead only saw that the taller person’s arm was up and pointed out.
Testimony from juvenile driver of moped
The juvenile driving the moped was 15 at the time of the incident. He said he was friends with Henry. The witness said he was at his house with Henry and friends but wasn’t sure specifically who all was there.
At the time the juvenile lived on Crabtree Avenue. The witness said Henry had been staying at his house that week. He said the two left the witness’ house sometime around 9 p.m. to go to Henry’s house on Bolivar Street.
The witness said they used a friend’s moped but that it was having some issues, so the top speed was about 20-25 mph and the engine was loud. The witness said because they couldn’t go faster and keep up with the speed of traffic, he decided to switch over to 5th Street where traffic was light.
The witness said he saw a Black male standing on the sidewalk of 5th Street. He claimed it was Johnson, later testifying he didn’t know the person’s identity at the time but later could ID him because of social media pictures.
The witness said he didn’t “really know exactly what was going on around” him because he was driving. But he said as soon as he drove past the person on the sidewalk, he “heard shots go off.”
The witness testified that he thought it was an airsoft gun because the bullet hit him too, saying it felt “kinda hot.”
The witness said he asked Henry multiple times if he was ok, saying Henry finally said “he shot me.” The witness said he immediately turned the moped off, then Henry fell off the back seat.
McGee, during opening statements, said there would be evidence presented that the driver of the moped and Henry had made plans to go to Smothers Park. During cross examination of the driver, McGee did not specifically ask if those plans were made but did ask what route the driver would have taken to get to Smothers — to which the driver said it would have been a different route than what led them to the scene of the shooting.
The driver also told McGee he did not see a second person on the sidewalk. He also said he didn’t see anything that went on behind him as the moped passed the person on the sidewalk.
The driver also admitted he’d seen Henry with an airsoft handgun resembling a pistol earlier in the day. He said he thought it had an orange tip.
Testimony from Mike Roe, deputy coroner
At the time, Roe was the Daviess County Deputy Coroner. He said there was no identification on Henry’s body so they had to take a photo, which was later shown to Henry’s mother and confirmed to be Corban.
Roe said he did a preliminary investigation of the body but it was after OPD had already searched for any belongings. The body was eventually transferred to a medical examiner for an autopsy.
Testimony from OPD’s Martin Brooks
Brooks was one of the first officers to respond to the scene where Henry was found. Brooks said he saw the victim laying face down in the roadway and he was unresponsive. Brooks took some photos of the scene.
Brooks said he took photos of what appeared to be a firearm in Henry’s waistband, but it was later identified as an airsoft gun.
In one of the photos, an item covered by a sheet of paper has been identified by other witnesses as a spent bullet. Brooks first testified that he thought it was a casing, but later admitted he did not actually examine the item so could not say for certain what it was.
Testimony from OPD’s Eric Wimsatt
Wimsatt said he arrived at the scene around the same time as Brooks. Wimsatt said he could not feel a pulse and did not see any signs of life so they began attempting to preserve the scene because citizens were already starting to gather in the area.
Wimsatt said they “discovered a pistol” on the left side of Henry’s body but they later determined it was an airsoft gun. He also said he saw the evidence under the sheet of paper that Brooks thought was a casing, but Wimsatt confirmed it was a spent bullet.
Upon questioning from McGee, Wimsatt said the only thing different about the airsoft gun compared to a regular gun was the magazine. Wimsatt said he did not recall an orange tip so he initially thought it was a regular handgun based on the color, shape and size.
Wimsatt said the gun was covered by Henry’s hoodie and shirt and moved upon first responders lifting Henry’s clothes. He said while it was tucked into the waistband and was accessible although the shirt would have to be lifted.
Testimony from AMR Ambulance’s Dinah Chapman
Chapman is paramedic supervisor for AMR Ambulance of Owensboro. She said when she arrived, Henry had no pulse so she began to place four EKG leads on Henry to test for an electrical signal from the heart.
Upon attempting to place a lead on the left side of the abdomen, Chapman said she lifted Henry’s shirt and saw what she thought was a handgun. She notified Wimsatt, who later determined it was an airsoft pistol.
Testimony from Super A employee Aman Singh
Singh is employed at Super A Food Mart on Crabtree Avenue. Singh was asked to provide footage for OPD for specific times on the night of Aug. 15. He provided video showing three locations of Super A — one inside pointed toward the register, one outside pointing toward the gas pumps and also showing the door to the building, and one outside showing the rest of the parking lot.
Testimony from medical examiner Christopher Kiefer
Kiefer is a Forensic Pathology Specialist in Madisonville who works as a medical examiner for the state of Kentucky. He testified that upon examining Henry’s body, there was no evidence of any trauma or other natural disease other than a gunshot wound.
Kiefer said the autopsy revealed significant damage to vital organs, most significantly the heart. He said there was an entry wound and exit wound, so the bullet was not in Henry’s body. According to Kiefer, the bullet entered through Henry’s back and exited his chest, and was traveling slightly from right to left.
Kiefer said he doesn’t officially declare the manner of death in cases but makes recommendations. He recommended homicide in this case. Upon questioning from McGee, Kiefer noted homicide only means death at the hands of another person, not whether it was illegal or not.
Testimony from OPD’s Ed Champion
Champion primarily helped collect video footage of the suspects. He said the only footage they were able to find was at the Super A. He took those videos from Singh back to the station, where OPD officer Mike Roby reviewed all the footage. Champion said he later saw the relevant footage, and said he did not observe any illegal activity.
Testimony from OPD’s Mike Roby
Roby is a patrol officer but was on light duty the night of the shooting. He was tasked with watching hours of footage, and he eventually noted five time segments that were relevant to the case. That footage was shown during the testimony.
At approximately 9:12 p.m., Roby said two people matching the suspect descriptions (and identified as Johnson and Logan Clark) could be seen hanging out in front of Super A.
Four minutes later those individuals went into the store and could be seen on video buying snacks. About two minutes after that they could be seen on video leaving and heading west.
At approximately 10:12 p.m., those individuals can be seen returning from the same direction they left but they did not re-enter the store. About two minutes later, they can be seen leaving and heading east on 5th Street.
Roby said he saw no signs of illegal activity or hostility, nor did he notice any firearms.
Roby additionally said, and showed in the footage, that at about 10:22 p.m., there appeared to be a scooter/moped that drove past the Super A on Crabtree and was going about the same speed as other traffic. He said he could not tell if it’s the moped Henry was on.
Testimony from DCSO’s Zach Morris
Morris said the Sheriff’s Office was helping search for suspects following reports of a firearm discharge, though he said dispatch did not have much description of the suspects at first. He said that as he was driving in the area, a woman flagged him down around 5th and Sycamore.
Morris said the woman did not want to identify herself but that she told him she observed what she described as a light-skinned Black male with dreadlocks that “frantically” was trying to enter a home on Werner Avenue. The woman led Morris to the house, where he and other officers conducted an investigation, according to his testimony.
Morris said the homeowner gave verbal consent to search for people. Morris said he stayed with the homeowner while other deputies searched the home, and that Johnson and Clark were located in a room in the back of the home.
According to Morris, the homeowner then gave written consent to an investigation for items in the home. Morris said one of the deputies eventually found an orange bag under the bathroom sink, and that the bag contained two guns among other items. That deputy stopped searching and called OPD to take over the investigation. Morris said he doesn’t know how the bag got under the sink.
Upon questioning from McGee, Morris said he recognized Clark, who he described as being a lighter-skinned Black male with dreadlocks and as being taller and skinnier than Johnson.
Morris said neither suspect mentioned anything about an incident on 5th Street. He also said the suspects were not actively providing information but responded to every question asked, though he also said he was not aware of anyone specifically asking them about incidents that occurred on 5th Street.
Testimony from homeowner Rianna Bindert
Bindert owns the home on Werner where the suspects were located. Bindert said Clark’s mother, which is her cousin, arrived without notice — though Bindert said that’s not unusual — with the Clark and Johnson. Bindert said she talked to Clark’s mother but not to the boys and they all entered the house together, saying no one was acting frantic.
Bindert said her cousin knew about a shooting and left on her own shortly after dropping the boys off. According to Bindert, several law enforcement officers arrived at her house a short time later but she didn’t know why. She said she gave permission for a search inside the home.
Bindert described Clark as at the time being taller, thinner and having longer hair that may have been braided. She said she had met Johnson before but didn’t really know him, only that he was a friend of Clark’s. Bindert said she didn’t notice an orange bag or handguns when they all walked in the house. She said she doesn’t know how the bag got under the sink.
Testimony from DCSO’s Hunter Harris
Harris assisted during the item search after the suspects had already been located. He said he found an orange plastic bag under the sink. He said he saw what appeared to be the butt of a gun at the bottom of the bag, and said OPD was immediately called to take over the search. Harris said he doesn’t know how the bag got under the sink.
Testimony from OPD’s Luke Whittaker
Whittaker assisted with searching for a suspect at the home on Werner Avenue but was not involved in searching for evidence. Whittaker said he transported Johnson back to OPD and another officer took Clark. He said the two suspects were given gunshot residue tests. He said neither suspect caused issues.
Testimony from OPD’s Alex Simmons
Simmons said he initially helped with crowd control at the scene of 5th and Orchard but was later called to the house on Werner Avenue. He took Clark back to OPD and took photos of the suspects.
Testimony from OPD’s Steven Phillips
Phillips was and still is a K9 officer with OPD. Phillips said he initially was called to 5th and Castlen where the casings were located. However, no tracking was performed at that time because he received a call asking him to come to Werner Avenue.
After a brief conversation with Morris, Phillips returned to 5th Street to begin a track with the K9 and another officer. He said the track was “short-lived” and went due south until they reached an 8-foot fence on the west side of the City’s maintenance facility.
According to testimony, at that time Morris let Phillips know that two suspects had been located at the home on Werner, so Phillps returned to that location.
Phillips was also the officer who took over the investigation of evidence at the home on Werner. He took photos of the orange bag and it’s contents — which according to testimony included two handguns, a fanny pack containing suspected drugs and paraphernalia, snacks, and another bag. Phillips said he ran the serial numbers of the guns and neither one was stolen.
Phillips also said he found a pair of khaki shorts in the room the suspects were found in, which was described as a laundry room. Phillips said the shorts stood out among other laundry because they were damp and had dirt smudges.
Phillips said he doesn’t know who the shorts or fanny pack belong to. He also said he never saw the orange bag under the sink, as it was left in front of the cabinet by the DCSO deputy.
We’ll continue to provide updates as the trial continues.
