JUSTICE

Second Man Convicted in Brutal Murder of Gender-Fluid High School Student Kedarie Johnson

Jaron Purham was convicted of first-degree murder on Friday.

A second man has been convicted murder in the 2016 death of gender-fluid high school student Kedarie Johnson, the U.S. Justice Department said. Jaron Purham was convicted of first-degree murder Friday for his role in the “kidnapping, torture, and execution” of the 16-year-old from Burlington, Iowa. Jorge Sanders-Galvez was convicted of first degree murder last year and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Prosecutors allege that Purham and Sanders-Galvez noticed Johnson walking alone on the street in women’s clothing, followed him, and pulled up beside him. Both men allegedly started to flirt with Johnson, convinced him to get inside, and drove him to a house, knocked him unconscious, stuffed a plastic bag down his throat, gagged him, and wrapped another plastic bag around his head. They are accused of taking Johnson to an alleyway, where they “threw [Johnson] onto the ground, and shot him twice in the chest” after he struggled to breathe. The two are accused of pouring bleach over Johnson’s body to destroy DNA evidence. Authorities said that one hour after the murder, the two announced they were “skipping town” in a Facebook post. Police also found Johnson’s backpack and sneakers at the defendants’ home, a ripped bedsheet that matched fibers found at the crime scene, the car captured in surveillance video following Johnson with the murder weapon inside.