Sheldon Johnson, 48, a former prisoner turned advocate for rehabilitation and youth counselor, has been apprehended and faces murder charges following the discovery of a dismembered body in a Bronx apartment.
Johnson, a staffer at the public law firm Queens Defenders, was captured on camera entering the crime scene wearing a blonde wig.
He was arraigned on Thursday and detained at the 44th Precinct stationhouse. The gruesome discovery at the scene revealed a human torso concealed in a blue bin and a head stored in a freezer.
Witnesses informed law enforcement that the victim was pledging his assailant moments before the discharge of two gunshots within the vicinity of the apartment situated near Odgen Avenue and West 162nd Street, occurring shortly after 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
A neighbor recounted the victim’s words, “Please don’t. I have a family!”
Investigators were first called to the building on a wellness check after the shots rang out, and neighbors reported seeing a stranger coming and going from the apartment with cleaning supplies.
The building superintendent told the New York Post, “I said, listen, I want to do a welfare check on a tenant because the person who is coming in and out is not the tenant.”
Following their initial apartment check, the police left the building without apprehending the suspect. However, they returned later and took Johnson in for questioning on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, law enforcement secured a warrant to search Johnson’s residence in Harlem. During the search, they uncovered the victim’s limbs and head in a freezer.
The victim had sustained at least one gunshot wound to the head.
After serving 25 years for attempted murder, among other crimes, Johnson was recently celebrated for his transformation and outreach efforts, including an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast discussing his past and advocacy work.
Johnson was once a member of the Bloods gang. He has shared his journey of leaving a life of crime behind, aspiring to be a positive influence for his son and other at-risk youth.
“My son was growing up hearing stories about my so-called notoriety. I just didn’t want to be that dad,” Johnson expressed on Rogan’s podcast.
He also articulated a moment of self-realization, where he decided to pivot towards good, acknowledging his past, “I said to myself, ‘I’ve been doing bad for so long, I’m going to try to do something good. If all else fails, I could always go back to doing something bad. But let me try. Let me give it a shot.”
According to the NYPD, Johnson has been charged with murder, manslaughter, criminal possession of a weapon, and concealment of a human corpse. He pleaded not guilty to all of the aforementioned charges.
