Kelvin Johnson

Kelvin L. Johnson was a father of three, an Army veteran, and a man remembered for his great personality and love of fun. Born on April 13, 1986, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the 28-year-old Male had recently begun to find his footing again after a period of profound personal tragedy. He had enlisted in the Army but received an honorable discharge following the sudden death of his three-month-old daughter from SIDS. His mother, Bethany Johnson Monroe, said he took the loss to heart, believing that if he had been home instead of in the service, it might not have happened. Before his death, Kelvin was working for a remodeling company and enjoying the creativity and responsibility of his new job as a carpenter.

In the early moments of Wednesday, August 13, 2014, Kelvin was returning to his third-floor apartment in a home on Ohio Avenue in Cincinnati's Clifton Heights neighborhood. Just after midnight, he was on his cell phone, walking toward his building after being forced to park down the street because his usual spot was taken. According to the person he was speaking with, someone approached him from behind. The woman on the other end of the line heard a brief exchange before the call disconnected. Neighbors then heard a single gunshot.

Cincinnati Police officers responded to a 911 call and found Kelvin Johnson on the front lawn at 2307 Ohio Ave., just blocks from the University of Cincinnati campus. He had been shot once in the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene, his body lying just feet from a concrete statue of an angel. Investigators noted that while Kelvin’s wallet was still in his pocket, his cell phone was missing.

The Cincinnati Police Department’s homicide unit launched an investigation into what they believed was a robbery gone horribly wrong. Homicide Detective Eric Karaguleff theorized that Kelvin was killed for his cell phone, which prevented him from calling for help as he lay bleeding in the dark. Investigators learned that a black vehicle, possibly an SUV, was seen cruising down Ohio Avenue just before the shooting. It was believed a passenger got out to follow Kelvin. After the gunshot, the same vehicle pulled out of a parking lot across the street and picked up a young Black man near where Kelvin was dying. Police hoped that others in the car who may not have intended for a murder to occur would come forward.

In the days following the murder, those who loved Kelvin came together in their shared grief and determination to find his killer. His ex-girlfriend, Carly Tamborski, and his girlfriend at the time, Rebekah Lotspeich, formed an unlikely partnership, handing out flyers around Clifton and pleading for anyone with information to come forward. "No one understands what she's going through like I do, and no one understands what I'm going through right now like she does," Tamborski said of their shared loss.

A funeral service for Kelvin was held on August 22, 2014, at the James Temple Church of God in Christ in the Walnut Hills neighborhood, followed by his burial at Arlington Memorial Gardens. His mother, Bethany, has carried the pain of her son’s unsolved murder for years, with holidays and the month of August being particularly difficult. She remembers her son as a "great person" who "always wanted to have fun." While she holds out hope that someone will provide the information needed to solve the case, she has found a measure of closure in believing "he's in a better place."

As of August 2022, Kelvin Johnson’s murder remains unsolved. The case is listed on the Ohio Attorney General's cold case database. Authorities continue to ask for the public's help. A reward of $2,500 was offered through Crime Stoppers for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is urged to call the Cincinnati Police Department's Criminal Investigation Section at 513-352-3542 or Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.