BY JASON HENNINGTON
Eighteen years ago on Friday, Aug. 26, I got a call at 7:15 a.m. as I was in my dorm room getting ready for class. A friend of mine was on the other end crying and telling me that Katara Johnson had been murdered.
That is a phone call I will never forget, because it was unexpected and devastating. The rest of the day all I could think about was how the people in Taylor felt. How hurt her closest friends and family were. On that day in 2004, I kept asking myself, “Who could have done this and why?”
The journalist in me thought, “What are the police doing to find her killer?”
After all these years, those haunting questions still linger.
During my last nine and a half years at the Taylor Press, I have worked to get updated information on the homicide. I have asked questions, talked to her family and done all I could as a reporter to find the answers.
My conversations with the officers of the Taylor Police Department always remind me that investigators have not given up on the case. Over the past few years, they have tirelessly followed lead after lead in hopes of finding the person responsible for Katara’s demise.
This is not just important to the police, but important to the family and friends of Katara. Anyone who knew her can truly say she was one of the nicest people they ever met.
For those of you new to Taylor or who have never heard of this case, the body of Katara Johnson, 21, was found in her mobile home in the 200 block of North Dolan Avenue in Taylor on Aug. 26, 2004.
Her car, a red four-door Mitsubishi, was later discovered in Thorndale City Park.
To date, no one has been arrested in connection with her slaying.
I’m not trying to reopen old wounds with this column. I just want to make sure folks understand the tragedy has not been forgotten.
These days, when my birthday rolls around, I can’t help but also think of Katara and the void her loss has left in the hearts of so many of us. Every year around this time, I see memorials and photos of her, showing people still care. Writing this column is one way to demonstrate she remains important to all of us. I still care because I want the family and the community to have closure.
I continue to have faith the day will come that we all get answers, and Katara will get the justice she deserves.
As long as I have breath, I will remember and honor her memory while also celebrating my entry into this world.
Anyone with information in the case should call the police at 512-352-5551.
I’m going to get off my soapbox now, but first I want to say happy anniversary to my parents. Forty-three years is a long time, but I know you have many more to go. By the way, the photo on page 20 is an older photo. All of those children are much taller now.
“When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” — Arthur Conan Doyle
