Sins & Survivors: A Las Vegas True Crime Podcast - Justice for SeMauri

Episode Date: April 30, 2024

Se’Mauri Norris-Johnson, a talented high school athlete with dreams of playing college football, was tragically shot and killed on Halloween night 2023 in North Las Vegas. His family has been left with unanswered questions, frustrated by a lack of transparency from law enforcement, and fighting for justice in a system that has failed to uphold their rights. His mother Maureisha is asking for nothing less than what she deserves and is owed by the Nevada State constitution: answers about the murder of her son.https://sinspod.co/episode25sourcesDomestic Violence Resourceshttp://sinspod.co/resourcesClick here to become a member of our Patreon!https://sinspod.co/patreonVisit and join our Patreon now and access our ad-free episodes and exclusive bonus content & schwag!Apple Podcast Subscriptionshttps://sinspod.co/appleWe're now offering premium membership benefits on Apple Podcast Subscriptions! On your mobile deviceLet us know what you think about the episodehttps://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2248640/open_sms Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sins-survivors-a-las-vegas-true-crime-podcast--6173686/support.

Some things just take too long. A meeting that could have been an email, someone explaining crypto, or switching mobile providers. Except with Fizz. Switching to Fizz is quick and easy. Mobile plans start at $17 a month. Certain conditions apply. Details at fizz.ca. To listen ad-free, visit zinspod.co slash subscribe. Starting at $2.99 a month, you'll also get access to our exclusive bonus content episodes when you join through Patreon or Apple subscriptions. Thanks for supporting the show! Desert Pines High School football star Samari Norris-Johnson went out trick-or-treating with

some of his friends on Halloween 2023, as so many kids do every year. Samari's mom checked up on him at 9.05pm to find out when he'd like to be picked up. By 10 p.m., she received a panicked call from Samari's girlfriend telling her Samari had been shot and murdered. Hi, and welcome to Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast where we focus on cases that deal with domestic violence and unsolved cases. I'm your host, Sean, and with me, as always, is the one and only John. I am the only John in the room. Last week, April 21st through the 27th, was the 43rd National Crime Victims' Rights Week. The first National Crime Victims' Rights Week was The first National Crime Victims' Rights Week was declared

by Ronald Reagan back in 1981. It was a long process to get there, but the victims' rights movement gained a lot of steam after the 1970s. We'll talk more later about victims' rights, including Marcy's Law in Nevada and 17 other states, what rights it gives crime victims, and how the law came about. First, though, we want to get right to this week's case, which is the tragic unsolved murder of Samari Norris Johnson, which happened only about six months ago. Samari was born October 2, 2006, in San Diego. His mom's name is Marisha Johnson, and he has two much younger baby brothers. And as we do, we aren't mentioning their

names because they aren't relevant to this case. Samari has a cousin named Jordan Howden, who is a safety for the New Orleans Saints. Samari's mom moved them to Las Vegas in 2016, and according to his grandfather, Samari quickly settled in and started making friends. He went to Desert Pines High and joined the football team. He was 6'2", 195 pounds, and was an outstanding defensive player. In his sophomore year, he was out with a broken hand, but in his junior year, he had an absolute breakout year. He was second team all division and was starting to get noticed by colleges. Tico Rodriguez, his head coach, was quoted as saying that he had the chance to be a Pac-12

athlete. He was that talented. Samari had been playing football since his childhood, and it was all pointing to his eventual goal of going pro, as he wanted, to follow in his cousin Jordan's footsteps. In his last game against Coronado High, which the Desert Pines Panthers lost, he racked up eight solo tackles, 10 total, which is huge. And after the game, he told his coach, coach, we'll be back. We'll be better. Samari also ran track. We looked up his stats and he was outstanding in the 100 and 200 meters and was starting to get into the 400 meter relay. He really was an excellent all around athlete. He was a well-liked, charismatic, fun-loving, athletic kid who also loved to dance. There are videos of him and his

girlfriend making TikToks of them dancing that are so great and just so entertaining to watch. And as his girlfriend said, quote, we don't play with guns, gangbang, or do anything of that sort. We're athletes and we focus on our grades. His mom said he was our protector. He never got into trouble and he never talked back. Halloween 2023 was a Tuesday and he went out with some of his friends to celebrate as many kids do every year. His mom called him around 9 p.m. to find out what time he wanted to be picked up, but that was the last time she'd ever speak to him. The North Las Vegas police said that Samari and several other teenagers wearing ski masks got out of a car and quickly approached two teenage trick-or-treaters in a North Las Vegas neighborhood around 9.45 p.m. It's not exactly clear what happened, but one of the trick-or-treaters fired a gun and it struck Samari in the side, and then the two fled the scene. Neighbors made frantic 911

calls to report the shooting, with one witness saying he had heard four gunshots. Police arrived seven minutes later. According to Samari's family, around 10.15 p.m., his mom got a call from Samari's girlfriend saying that he had been shot. She could see his location on his iPhone, but it wasn't moving and he wasn't picking up. Samari's mom rushed over to the scene, but according to the family, she was not allowed to pass the crime scene tape and was told that when the investigation was over, they would come to talk to her. She said at that point, there were no paramedics on scene. She desperately wanted to cross that yellow tape to be with her son in his last moments, something that we would want every parent to be able to do.

She waited there for hours, just 30 feet from where he lay in the street, while the rumors on social media grew that Samari was dead. According to the family, the detectives finally came to talk to her after midnight and told her that Samari was dead. According to the family, the detectives finally came to talk to her after midnight and told her that Samari was shot in self-defense and that there would be no prosecution. The family's account includes the fact that Samari was shot in the side, so they very much doubt that this was self-defense. They also said that witnesses were stopped from performing CPR on Samari and that an ambulance did not arrive for over 20 minutes. Marisha wasn't able to view Samari's body until November 3rd, and even then, it was only a photo.

Obviously, the kids at Desert Pines were in shock. This was the second time in one week that one of their students was lost to gun violence, and crisis counselors were brought in. During the investigation, police went door-to-door talking to neighbors. They got some ring-doorbell camera footage, but the view of the street is blocked by the family's Halloween decorations. It's a chaotic scene, with teenagers running all around, and a black pickup truck leaving the scene quickly. It all happened in just a few seconds. Samari's grandmother, Lovette Anderson, was on the news and said, we need to find the guy who murdered my grandson. Turn yourself in. Las Vegas PD put out the following useless description of the suspects.

Suspect number one, wearing all black with a red backpack and a black ski mask. Suspect number two, wearing a ghost-faced mask, like the Scream movie. Three months later, on January 26th, a 16-year-old juvenile was arrested, but not charged with homicide or assault. He was charged with shooting a gun into an occupied vehicle and gun possession-related charges. In the press release, they said, the case continues to be an active, ongoing investigation. On the family's website, which is meant to help raise awareness of this horrible tragedy, they say, quote, we will do everything in our power to ensure that Samari's legacy is one of hope and progress, not despair and mourning. His family had a memorial service

for him at Desert Pines where over 100 people attended. They counted up to the number 13, Samari's jersey number, and released balloons in the Desert Pines High School colors. We wanted to share some quotes from some of his friends, family, and classmates. Tico Rodriguez, his coach, said, He was a very special kid. He had a beautiful heart and a million-dollar

smile. His mom said he was an angel on earth. His friend Brianna said, it shouldn't be scary for you to go out as a kid on Halloween and then to be murdered. That's the last thing we were thinking would happen. His other coach, Michael Gao, said, he's one of those kids. You wish you had 100 of them. And lastly, from Coach Rodriguez, in the three years I have seen him, I have never seen him upset. All the teammates rallied behind him. He was always the positive guy on the sideline. We've been in touch with Samari's mom, who has told us that she feels her rights as a victim are not being respected in the way they should be and the way that is guaranteed by the Nevada state constitution. Marisha has received no updates from the district attorney's office regarding the status of Samari's case. While a juvenile has been arrested, she has not been informed of the status or disposition of the

case. According to Marisha, the DA's office has told her that there is no victim on this case, which is confusing and inaccurate. Her attempts to get more information about her son's death have failed. She is even unbelievably still waiting on an autopsy report, and it's unclear if the North Las Vegas police are still looking for the second suspect. We're doing our best to help put her in touch with people within the justice system who can respond to her very reasonable requests for information. So now let's talk about victims' rights here in Nevada and nationally. Nevada does have protections for victims and witnesses, and I agree with what Samari's grandfather told us, that their rights as victims are being violated. In Nevada, there

has been a Crime Victims Bill of Rights written into state law since 1983. The Crime Victim Bill of Rights in Nevada includes the right to know the status of the case in which you are involved, the right to know when the defendant is released from custody before or during trial, and the right to know when the offender is released from prison. In 2018, Nevada became one of 18 states that adopted Marcy's Law and amended the Nevada's Constitution to include additional protections for victims of crime. Marcy's Law expands the Crime Victims Bill of Rights and protects victims and witnesses in very specific proceedings, including delinquency proceedings upon request, at which the defendant and the prosecutor are entitled to be present, and also of all parole and other post-conviction release proceedings, and to be present at all such proceedings. To be treated with fairness and respect for his or her privacy and dignity.

To be free from intimidation, harassment, and abuse throughout the criminal or juvenile justice process. To have the safety of the victim and the victim's family considered as a factor in fixing the amount of bail and release conditions for the defendant. There are around a dozen total provisions, but we'll leave a link in the show notes so you can take a look at all of them. Marcy's Law is named for Marcelli Ann Nicholas, who went by Marcy. She was stalked and murdered by her ex-boyfriend when she was 21 years old, a senior in college. Marcy was born on March 6, 1962, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to her parents Henry and Marcella. She was described as being an animal lover and enjoyed competitive horseback riding. She worked with blind children in high school, so when she went to UC Santa Barbara for

college, she was studying to become a special education teacher. She was known for driving around her neighborhood in her convertible, waving at her neighbors, and according to the LA Times, she had a reputation for being a bit of a daredevil and enjoyed riding dirt bikes. She had one brother, Henry, Henry Nicholas III, who was three years older than her. Marcy dated a man named Kerry Conley throughout her college years, who was nine years older than her. According to one article, they had been dating for about five years when Marcy was killed, which would make Marcy 16 when they started dating and he would be 25. But another article said that they started dating when she turned 18. He worked as a carpenter and lived in a barn that had been

converted into a guest house on his parents' property in Malibu. According to the Los Angeles Times, the families were neighbors and Marcy's family could see his house from their home. Marcy broke up with Conley around Thanksgiving 1983. Her parents and brother said they didn't like the relationship. Her parents had hoped that Marcy spending a semester abroad in London would have helped put some distance between them and get him out of her mind. They said they were pleased when the two broke up and Marcy moved out of Conley's place. However, he had begun stalking her. Five days after they had broken up, on November 3rd, he got her to come over to his place. It's said that he was threatening to kill himself. Police have said that the two of them argued.

Conley then shot Marcy in the head with a shotgun. According to police, when they arrived, Conley was holding Marcy and she was screaming. She was brought to the hospital, but the police detained Conley and wouldn't let him go with her there because they wanted to question him. He changed his story several times. He told the first officer to arrive that the shotgun had fallen off a bookshelf. He also said that they were getting ready for bed and he he grabbed the shotgun, and it just went off. Marcy died a few hours after the shooting. Her brother was able to visit her at the hospital before she died. Later, as an adult, he remarked how traumatic that was, and how he

continued to have nightmares about it for years. Conley was arrested, and his bail was set at $100,000. According to Marcy's family, they had no idea he had been able to post bail. They didn't know he was out until Marcy's mother, Marcella, went to the local grocery store shortly after her death. While she was in the checkout line, Marcella saw Conley, which angered and upset her. Marcella said that it had cost more to bury Marcy than it did for him to get out of jail. Two long years later, in 1985, Conley was found guilty of second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 17 years. Marcy's family attended several parole hearings to make sure he did not get out.

Conley ended up dying in prison in 2007 due to complications from diabetes. The stress and trauma endured by Marcy's family led to them becoming victim rights advocates and pushing for legislative changes to protect victims. Marcella founded the organization Justice for Homicide Victims Together with Ellen Griffin Dunn. Ellen Griffin Dunn is the mother of Dominique Dunn. Dominique is likely to be well-known by true crime fans and horror movie fans because she played the teen daughter in Poltergeist, Dana, Carol Ann's older sister. Dominique was only 22 years old when she was murdered by her obsessive and abusive ex, John Sweeney. Sweeney was 27 and at the time was a popular Hollywood chef. Dominique's story really deserves its own episode to go into all the details, but briefly,

Sweeney showed up at Dominique's home on October 30th, 1982. She was rehearsing with actor David Packer for their new show, V. Dominique went out onto the porch to talk to Sweeney, and the two of them began fighting. Sweeney strangled Dominique. She lost consciousness and never woke up. After five days in the hospital, her family removed her from life support in order to donate her organs.

Needless to say, this murder was shocking and scandalizing in Hollywood. Even worse, Sweeney was only convicted of voluntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to six and a half years, but only served three years, seven months, and 27 days. This is yet another example of gross injustice. These two tragedies connected Marcy and Dominique's families, and together, they formed Justice for Homicide Victims to support families and advocate for victims' rights. Marcella told the LA Times in 2008 that after Marcy's murder, Ellen contacted

her. She comforted us, then told us how her daughter was strangled by an ex-boyfriend, and he only got manslaughter. She said, let's get something going where we can fight and change things. And that's what we did. Together with her son, Henry, Marcella became the driving force behind Marcy's Law, the Victim's Bill of Rights proposition which passed in California in 2008. As we stated before, Marcy's Law includes the provision that the safety of the victim and the victim's family must be taken into account when bail is set for an offender, which was, of course, a key element that was very personal to their family's experience. After the law passed in California, the family began campaigning to have the same protections added in other states. Marcella passed away in 2015, but her son continues

to advocate for more states to adopt the protections of Marcy's law. Henry Nicholas has said, quote, if any good can come of something this horrible, the loss of my sister and the losses of other families of crime victims, it is that these violent acts served as a catalyst for change. Marcy's Law will provide a more compassionate justice system for crime victims in California and make that a constitutional guarantee. Now, the momentum can be put behind a U.S. constitutional amendment so that the rights of all crime victims anywhere in America can be protected. That's the goal and the purpose of Marcy's Law and other victim protections.

But for Samari's family, they aren't being given the updates and information they deserve. Not only do they deserve updates, but they are legally guaranteed them. Samari's family asks that we do not forget him. His life absolutely mattered, and his loss is a loss for our entire community. He deserves justice, and his family deserves answers. If anyone out there is an attorney who would be willing to reach out to Marisha and represent her in getting the updates she deserves, please email me at john at sinsandsurvivors.com. We're going to keep the conversation going in our Swing Shift bonus episode now, so to listen, visit sinspod.co slash subscribe to hear those bonus episodes and also get ad-free episodes. Samari's mom sent us a text about him, and we'd like to read it in its entirety so that you can hear her words directly.

Samari was an amazing young man. It's true. He was an angel on earth. He never got into trouble. He didn't talk back. He helped whenever he needed. He would do anything I asked of him. His heart was truly pure. He was respectful, thoughtful, protective over his mama. I'm so brokenhearted. I've experienced a mother's worst nightmare. Samari was going to be the first in my family to go to a university. He worked so hard to become everything he was. I was robbed. My everything, my life, my first purpose, my baby. Samari deserves justice. This person who was out on Halloween with a gun needs to be caught and held accountable.

My life will never be the same, never. I am so hurt. My son did not deserve this. I love you forever, Samari Reemar, forever and always. You will have justice, baby. Thank you for your unconditional love. For 17 years of beautiful memories, I will forever cherish. You are everything, and everything is you.

A parent should be able to cross the yellow tape and be there with their child in their last moments. I need help with changing the mandate for parents in the future. I didn't get to see my son until three days after his death and that was just a photo. It's been five months and I'm still waiting on an autopsy report and police report. The suspect's identity and case are being withheld as confidential. This suspect knows exactly who me and my family are. I want justice for my son. The authorities make it seem as if he deserved this.

We will continue to do what we can to support Samari's family, and we'll dedicate this week to him on our social media. So please be sure you are following us on Instagram or Facebook so you don't miss any photos of this incredible kid who is so loved and so missed. Thank you again for listening and remember what happens here, happens everywhere. The Thank you. The Thanks for listening. Visit sinspod.co slash subscribe for exclusive bonus content and to listen ad-free. Remember to like and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Threads at Sins and Survivors. If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a review on your podcast platform of choice. You can contact us at questions at sinsandsurvivors.com. If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence or needs support, please reach out to local resources or the National Domestic Violence Hotline. A list of resources is available on our website, sinsandsurvivors.com. Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast, is research written and produced by your hosts, Sean and John.

The information shared in this podcast is accurate at the time of recording. If you have questions, concerns, or corrections, please email us. Links to source material for this episode can be found on our website, sinsandsurvivors.com. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the podcast creators, hosts, and their guests. All individuals are innocent until proven guilty. This content does not constitute legal advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult with legal professionals for guidance.