BRONX, NY – A shocking incident led local law enforcement to unearth a brutal crime scene in a Bronx apartment on Tuesday evening. Sheldon Johnson, 48, was arrested and charged with murder, manslaughter, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Johnson, an ex-convict who had since taken up the cause of criminal justice reform, is accused of the murder and dismemberment of another man. The bloody scene was uncovered at 979 Summit Avenue in the Highbridge neighborhood when the police were dispatched for a wellness check in apartment 6G.
Orlando Medina, the building superintendent, was roused in the early hours of the day by a tenant. The tenant reported hearing pleas for mercy and successive gunshots coming from the apartment. Upon entering the unit, a gruesome sight awaited them- a torso and arms that belonged to a dismembered man.
Moreover, a subsequent search warrant for Johnson’s own apartment in Harlem resulted in the discovery of the victim’s remaining body parts inside a freezer. The victim was later identified as 44-year-old Collin Small, who had a single gunshot wound to the head. Bullet fragments procured from within the victim’s skull secured the murder charge against Johnson.
Additionally, officers found a bag of concrete in Johnson’s car and a protective Tyvek suit, leading investigators to believe that Johnson had intended to dispose of the body. Johnson, a former gang member, spent a quarter of a century behind bars for attempted murder, among other charges. His willingness to share his journey of reform and rehabilitation in a recent podcast episode makes this violent crime even more shocking.
With his arraignment scheduled for Thursday, Johnson’s former colleagues from the Queens Defenders and other supporters turned up in abundance. The judge remanded Johnson, and his next hearing is set for Monday.