Suicide Case Re-Opened

Local News, By Christian Taylor, 4th June, 2007

Almost twenty years ago the dead body of American maths genius Scott Johnson was discovered off Sydney’s North Head. Initially police called it suicide. But after putting two and two together over the last couple of years, Scott’s family have decided to launch an investigation into the death. To them Scott was someone who had everything to live for and they believe that their son was murdered.

According to the Fairfax Media, Johnson’s death bore some striking similarities to six other deaths that happened in the eastern suburbs in the late eighties, early nineties. These men were all found at the bottom of cliffs. In 2004 a coroner ruled that because the area from which they “fell” was a gay beat, they were most likely pushed to their deaths by homophobic gangs.

The family hired a private investigator from America and he says in his ten day visit to Australia he uncovered more about the case than was ever put forward during the coronial inquest.

Apparently Johnson had fallen from an area that was also a well known gay beat, something that police failed to mention. Others have since come forward to say that they’ve experienced violence in the area.

“I’m putting a fall, after some kind of a struggle gone wrong perhaps, at the top of the list,” the private investigator Mr Glick said. “Homicide would be second and, of course, suicide way down the bottom simply because, if that’s the scenario, nothing quite adds up.”

A family member of one of the men killed in Bondi in the eighties called the police conclusion of ‘death by misadventure’ as “inadequate, shameful and naive”.

The investigation continues.

Photo: Fairfax