A former convict who was held up as an example of rehabilitation following his release from prison has been arrested for murdering and dismembering another prisoner.
Sheldon Johnson is a counselor in Queens, NY for youth at risk. He was charged on Thursday with murder, manslaughter, and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the death of Collin Small (44), in his Bronx apartment. Smalls and Johnson, according to reports, were both in Sing Sing Prison at the time and there is a belief that they had a history of animosity.
Johnson was released in May after serving 25 years of a 50-year prison sentence for attempted murder as well as other crimes. Read his public appeal to New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg. He is here on Joe Rogan’s show explaining his jail sentence.
On Tuesday morning, the police received a call from a 911 operator reporting gunshots inside an apartment. The caller asked the police to check the welfare of the tenant. This whole story reminded me why I don’t particularly appreciate living in an apartment.
According to an internal report, at least one neighbor reported hearing two shots fired from a sixth-floor apartment. She heard someone shout “Please, don’t! I have a family!” moments later.
She told police that two more shots were fired, followed by silence.
According to police reports, shortly after hearing shots, a neighbor saw a male carrying bags with cleaning supplies enter and exit the apartment. The neighbor, who did not recognize the man, told Orlando Medina the details of what she heard and saw.
Before calling the police, Medina checked the footage from the surveillance cameras.
In a telephone interview, Mr. Medina stated: “I thought to myself, let me see what I can see.”
He saw the man walk in and out of the apartment when he viewed the video. He saw that the man changed his clothes multiple times. At one point he was dressed in a dark jacket with khaki trousers and a plaid cap. He also had a blue plastic storage bin on wheels. He was also seen wearing a lighter jacket, and a fishing hat while holding two bags on the second occasion. He wore a dark coat with a puffy hood, sunglasses, and a blonde hairstyle on a third occasion.
He said, “I didn’t know this man, but I thought he was coming in and leaving with a key like he owned the place.”
Mr. Medina also said that he saw Mr. Small walk into the apartment at around 10 pm, but never saw him leave. Mr. Medina dialed 911 to check on his health.
The police visited the apartment to speak with Johnson who was still on the scene. Police obtained a warrant to search Small’s apartment after reviewing security camera footage and talking with Mr. Medina.
The reports stated that after the detectives had obtained a search warrant for the apartment, their discovery of the victim’s feet and torso in the bin was made. The reports said that they also found the victim’s legs, arms, and head inside the freezer. Mr. Small was shot at least one time in the head.
You can see some images of Johnson wearing various disguises at the crime scene.
Sheldon Johnson, a 48-year-old former gang member and advocate for criminal justice reform, (And whom appeared on Joe Rogan show) was arrested on March 7, 2024, after a dismembered body was found in a Bronx apartment.
The discovery was made during a wellness check at the… pic.twitter.com/JyF0uYDVwL
— 4ortunefame💰👑💰 (@4ortunefame) March 8, 2024
Our criminal justice is not perfect. I can’t remember someone whose name once said, “It is not a justice system and it doesn’t have anything to do with a criminal justice system. It is criminal.” Sometimes people are indeed sentenced to long prison terms for excellent reasons, which have nothing to do either with systemic racism or poor lawyers.
We all want to believe that rehabilitation and redemption are possible, but it is important to understand that incarceration rarely improves the personality and behavior patterns that send a person to prison for decades. It is no surprise that someone who received a 50-year prison sentence for violent crimes would kill someone, just as we are shocked when a poisonous serpent bites someone. Johnson’s dad was a career criminal. Johnson’s son was sentenced to 18 months in a juvenile facility after he beat a Columbia graduate student to death. Johnson was involved with gangs in prison. Johnson was involved in gang activity while incarcerated.
How much are we willing to risk in society to feel good about ourselves?
