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Mother Begs For Information About Her Son's Murder

Kathy Waters/Highlands Today

"I shouldn't be holding this picture, I should be holding my son," said Linda Johnson of Sebring. Her son, DeMario "Turbo" Johnson, was shot and killed in 2005 and police have yet to find his killer.

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By Dan  Fearson | Highlands Today

Published: September 21, 2007

SEBRING — DeMario Johnson, better known as "Knox" or "Turbo," may have rapped about the violence he saw on the street, but there's no way the lyrics he wrote could have foreshadowed his own death.

"I watched my son putting words down on paper and coming up with rhythms and beats while he was rapping," said DeMario's mother Linda Johnson. "He rapped about all sorts of stuff, but he was about a lot more. He was smart and gifted."

Linda nicknamed her son "Turbo" at birth, saying that he came out of her "dancing" like a break-dancer with the same name whose video she saw.

"Turbo" grew up to become a multi-talented entertainer; he could rap, dance and had a good sense of humor.

"I was having a bad day at work one night, so he called me up and told me this joke," said Linda. "He said, 'What do you call an armadillo without arms or legs?' And I told him I didn't know. He said 'It doesn't matter what you call him, he's not going to come to you.'"

Linda doesn't get those random phone calls from her son anymore.
DeMario, 19, was shot Aug. 24, 2005, while leaving the Montego Club, at Lemon and Highlands avenues. He died the following morning. His dreams of becoming the next rap superstar came to a tragic end, which his family still has problems dealing with.

Killer Is Still At-Large

Besides the pain that comes in coping with the loss of a loved one, the Johnson family has to deal with the fact that their son's killer is still at-large. The family is still seeking justice.

"It's been two years," said Linda, crying. "I want someone to come forward because I've heard too many things."

Rumors swirl around Linda. She hears the names of possible gunmen daily. But it's no help for her. All she can do is pass the names along.

"The only way the police can do something about it is if people come out and say things to them," said Johnson. "People say things to each other, but they don't do anything about it."

A Violent Night

Prior to the shooting, several fights broke out at the club that night. The Sebring Police Department described it as a long-standing rivalry between the youths involved. Because of this, Linda believes that there were many witnesses to the shooting.

More than 1,000 people attended DeMario's funeral, and some of them probably witnessed his murder.
"It's tough thinking about the number of people who attended his funeral and how nobody has come forward," admits Linda. "Not even two or three people can come forward out of that many people. It doesn't make sense."

"We haven't had a lot of cooperation from the community in regards to the case," said Lt. Karl Hoagland, of the Sebring Police Department, who said that the case is still under active investigation. "We haven't gotten enough information to support suspect identification or prosecution."

Tired Of Waiting

After her son died, Linda sought the advice of an attorney who told her that going to the media and begging for the community's help would not be in her best interest. But the grieving mother grew tired of waiting.

"I'm tired of hearing the same old thing," said Linda. "I can't believe that (the Sebring Police Department) hasn't heard anything or found anyone yet. The people who were there need to step up and say 'I want to live in a safe environment.'"

"I don't see how anyone would think that they'd be snitching. (The murderer) is not a drug dealer, it's a killer — someone who takes lives," said Linda. "My son didn't want to die by someone else's hands. I have to keep my baby's legacy alive."

Linda understands that people who may have witnessed the shooting could be scared to come forward, but she still hopes they do.

"By not coming forward you're just protecting the wrong person," said Linda. "This person is going to feel like they can just do anything and get away with it. I don't see how they can sleep at night — kids can't hold that type of thing inside them."

Because of the pain and grief caused by DeMario's death, Linda had to make a job change. The pain keeps her up at night and causes her to make unscheduled trips to her son's gravesite at odd hours in the morning.

"It's hard when I can't see him or touch him," said Linda. "I was always there when my son called me. I can't feel that love anymore."

"I have trouble resting at night — sometimes I cry until I pass out."

While the search for her son's killer continues, Linda still holds family cookouts and get-togethers around his birthday, which was last Saturday, Sept. 15.

"I go to his gravesite with his girl friends and talk about all the things he would joke around about," said Linda. "I ask God to just let him visit me in my dreams."

The mother asks that anyone with information contact the Sebring Police Department at 471-5107.

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