When Jerry Johnson didn’t show up for a Sunday family dinner, it created suspicion. A fisherman would discover the missing father’s body in a lake. The deceased was disposed of using items including a dolly cart, cinder blocks, and speaker wiring.
The finding is just part of the tragic story, which is the subject of the upcoming episode of Buried in the Backyard. Now in its fifth season, the Oxygen true crime series explores horrific cases that are more than meets the eye when looking beyond the surface. The Johnson case unnerves a South Carolina small-town where rumors swirl and misguided revenge leads to fatal consequences. It turns out Johnson’s murder in 2018 led to findings that could connect to the disappearance of Naomi Collins, a 2015 case that went cold.
Here Major Randall Stewart, the investigator of the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecutor Ernest Finney walk us through the case featured in the episode. Below you’ll also find an exclusive clip from the episode that sees Johnson’s killer Steven Stinnette orchestrate a jailbreak.
Oxygen
What’s your history with doing these types of shows?
Ernest Finney: I have one previous experience on a Netflix documentary (Rotten) regarding an interesting case in our area where a gentleman was charged with killing 100,000 chickens and the case went to court, but we weren’t able to get convicted.
What was your reaction when you found out they were tackling this Jerry Johnson case?
Major Randall Stewart: This case is still by far the most bizarre case that I think this agency has experienced. So when there is a chance to tell that story there can be some excitement. But there is also the sadness with the way it turned out with the loss of life and the unnecessary way the offender treated the victim. Not only that but how it impacted a second ongoing investigation, which unfortunately is still unsolved
Do you think the episode will help generate more leads for Naomi Collins’ disappearance?
Major Randall: We always remain hopeful with an older case that has gone cold that a story like this would spur someone to help us in finding closure.
A centralized theme in this case is how rumors can create turmoil, especially within a small town. Steven Stinnette is a prime example of what can happen.
Major Randall: We’re always fighting to separate fact and fiction. We always have to battle the rumor mill when a case has local publicity or individuals have substance abuse issues trying to verify the truth from them. Or when they think they are telling the truth, but that may be obscured by their narcotics habits. This case is still so bizarre. This is the first case that I know of where someone has gone to this length based on street rumors. Unless he knows more than he told us.
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The episode shows one side of the story where Stephen accused Jerry of denting his truck. I later read they had committed a robbery together.
Major Randall: That is correct. Mr. Stinnette and two others including the victim traveled across to a nearby county where they broke into a business where they sell various trailers. They stole a trailer. On the way back, that is when Stinnette, with his version, accused Jerry Johnson of damaging the truck… That outing was when Stinnette, who was always possessive of his vehicle, claimed his anger got the better of him because Jerry had damaged the truck while he had it. We found no damage to the truck when we did our search warrant.
He reportedly shot Jerry eight times. Stephen with help from individuals including his mother at one point then proceeded to bury the body not once but twice before dumping him in the lake. Have you heard of anything like this before?
Major Randall: This type of scenario happened once in reality and once in rumor. The fact it was rumored Naomi Collins case was never solved because they had in fact moved the body and Jerry Johnson was one of the persons of interest in that case. Stinnette took those rumors and thought, “I’ll do to you like you did to her.” He buried him with one. Then a second person to a second location and a third person to move to another location thinking it would all interrupt the investigation.
Then you have all these people involved, doing the opposite.
Ernest: It put him in jeopardy because he had to keep that many people quiet. That’s where his plan went awry because the people he was relying on were pretty much subject to warning to informants, colleagues and eventually to law enforcement. They knew when law enforcement got involved they had to give up the truth because they would be part of this conspiracy to cover up a murder.
An exclusive clip ahead of the episode shows there is even another crazy chapter where Stephen pulls off a prison escape.
Ernest: I can’t remember anyone that dangerous escaping from a facility here and then being captured 12 hours later. It was unbelievable. If he had made it out of the county, we may have never got him except for he is highly recognizable. We probably would have caught him eventually, but he could have caused a lot of damage.
What did you make of the lengths he took and through the process?
Major Randall: He took specific steps, patience, and effort. He worked with others. They chose a specific day, shift, lighter through contraband, and set off a fire. Once the fire started, it created pandemonium greater than the actual emergency to create a cloud of chaos. They would beat on the door saying they were going to burn, choke on smoke, and die to encourage the opening of a door outside for ventilation. He had already borrowed extra shirts from other inmates to use as padding to be able to make it over the barbed wire. That shows his character, his elusiveness, and how much he did not want to be in there.
Was protocol changed as a result?
Major Randall: Yes, based on that successful attempt on his part. Modifications have been made so other attempts could not be completed.
Has there been any more developments in Naomi’s case?
Major Randall: We were pretty much in the same spot before this incident with Jerry Johnson occurred. We had two individuals who were the pinnacle of the persona of interest. One had passed before due to overdose and the other was Jerry. Either they were involved or knew something about the base but we couldn’t get their cooperation…Stephen took Mr. Johnson’s life, which prevented us from making any more progress. With this street vigilante effort, he significantly hurt us trying to bring any resolution for Naomi’s case.
What do you want viewers to know ahead of the episode airing?
Ernest: I’m always amazed at how much effort is put into cases like this. A lot may think the police go home at 5 p.m. and come back the next day to pick up where they left off. That is not the case at all. They work cases long after the clock passes 5 and put a lot of effort into putting pieces together. It’s amazing to me how a lot of these cases get solved because of the good police work.
Buried in the Backyard, Saturdays, 8/7c, Oxygen
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
