Hater confesses to murder of homosexual Scott Johnson
In the 1980s and 1990s, a number of homosexual men were murdered in Australia. Dozens of people lost their lives during this time... And all because they loved other men. Many already criticized at that time that the investigation work of the police apparently did not go far enough. Because: For a long period of time it was not clear what exactly had happened - and especially not who the perpetrator was. With the social change regarding homosexual persons and the LGBTQI+ community, some of the cases were reopened.
One confession is particularly interesting in this context. Because: It caused a kind of "liberation" for Scott Johnson's brother.
Johnson hate murder finally solved
Scott Johnson had to die in December 1988 because he was homosexual. He lived to be only 27 years old. That he is the murderer, Scott W. (now 50 years old) has publicly confessed. The math student was pushed off a cliff by his killer at the time. In the course of the trial, Scott suddenly shouted, "Guilty! I'm guilty! Guilty!".
His lawyer still desperately tried to retract her client's statement and explained that the guilty plea was made out of the stressful situation. In addition, Scott W.'s mental disability had to be taken into account.
However, the confession was accepted by the court and the defendant was convicted of murder. The exact sentence has not yet been determined and is to be announced in the early summer of 2022. For many people who had already studied the case for some time and more extensively, the outcome of the trial was no surprise. They were sure they had found the culprit in Scott.
The important role of the brother
If Scott Johnson had not had his brother, the case would probably still be unsolved today. Steve Johnson received the news from the police in New South Wales that his brother had apparently killed himself. Steve, however, did not believe in a suicide and instead repeatedly lobbied for the case to be reopened.
In 2012 he could celebrate a small "partial success". Because: at that time the case was reopened and the cause of death was changed from "suicide" to "unexplained".
In the course of the proceedings, a reward of one million dollars was offered for clues contributing to the arrest of the perpetrator. Steve Johnson increased the reward to two million dollars, in a way underlining how important it was for him to finally find peace and closure with this issue.
The confession now ensured that more voices have become insisting that other alleged suicides are now also re-evaluated and investigated. To what extent the authorities will comply with these matters remains to be seen.
The series of murders surrounding homosexual men in Australia in the 1980s and 1990s.
Scott Johnson's case represents just one murder in a series. In the 1980s and 1990s, it is estimated that up to 80 homosexual men were killed. The background of these crimes was apparently the sexual orientation of the victims.
Most of the murders took place on beaches. At that time, mostly young, homophobic men deliberately stayed at gay cruising hotspots in order to lure homosexual men to certain death. At the time, the Australian police were also repeatedly discredited for being homophobic. Many of the officers had no interest in solving the murder cases and declared the acts suicide. Today's police leadership has since apologized for their attitude at the time.
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