Pokin Around: Inspired by a reader’s question, an investigation into the 1989 murder of Ronnie Johnson
Steve Pokin
I invite you to read the four stories I've written about the 1989 unsolved murder of Ronnie Johnson of West Plains.
His mutilated body was found in the Mark Twain National Forest in April of that year.
No one was ever convicted; no one was ever charged.
Three of the four stories are available exclusively for our subscribers, online and in print.
If you're already a subscriber, thank you.
If you were thinking about subscribing, now is a good time.
Here's how this project started.
On Dec. 13, 2020, I received an email from a reader named Wesley Davis. It said:
"I’ve also stumbled upon the murder of Ronnie Johnson in 1989. ... I can’t find much on it other than that his body was found in Mark Twain National Forest 'horrifically mutilated' and supposedly missing many body parts. Can’t find much on it other than it was unsolved and possibly drug related. Just wondered if you had any more information on this unsolved murder?"
I had not heard of the Johnson murder.
The first thing I did was check to see if it had been solved. Was an arrest made? Was there a trial? Was someone convicted?
If those things had happened I would not have written these stories; I would not have invested the time.
But 32 years later no one has been brought to justice.
The dark code of the Ozarks has prevailed; no one talked about the grisly death.
I approached these stories with the idea that since I'm 68 years old and newsrooms generally have dwindling resources this might be one of my final opportunities to dig in and do some old-school investigative reporting.
I wanted to make sure I did everything the way it should be done.
I filed an open records request under the state's Sunshine Law with the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the News-Leader paid $338 for the investigative file, which was heavily redacted.
I filed two Freedom of Information requests with the Drug Enforcement Agency for information on James Eugene "Red" Madden, a legendary Howell County drug dealer who some believe might have been involved in the murder.
I made those requests months ago and, unfortunately, I still do not have documents and I was not given a timeframe for when I might.
A DEA spokeswoman said the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed response times on FOIA requests.
I also reached out to the West Plains Daily Quill to ask if the News-Leader could use some of their 1989 photos from the murder. The paper graciously cooperated.
Rochelle Johnson is Ronnie Johnson's daughter. She is 39 today and lives in Missouri, but not in West Plains, where she graduated high school in 2000.
She was 6 when her father was murdered.
She did not want her married name or city of residence mentioned because she fears retaliation — all these years later.
Others expressed that same fear. Some sources worried about me, although I never felt threatened.
Rochelle Johnson, the adult, knows of her father's failings as a man and as a husband.
For these stories, she stayed true to her word.
She wanted to find out what happened to her father and why — no matter what I uncovered and no matter if it involved kin.
More:Woman, 15 at the time, disputes account that turkey hunters found Ronnie Johnson's body in the woods
I believe I was true to my word, too. I shared documents with her and did everything in my limited power as a journalist to find out what happened.
No other news outlet in the Ozarks does similar investigative reporting like this newspaper does when it picks its spots and digs in.
In the end, can I tell you who killed Ronnie Allen Johnson?
I most certainly cannot.
A good detective is a vastly more valuable tool in these matters than a good reporter.
But what I can do for you is craft the story of what I've learned.