by NC WANTED Staff

Posted: Jul 8, 2008
Updated: Jul 9, 2008

WILSON COUNTY — James Johnson Files Complaint to the North Carolina State Bar against former attorney Johnny Gaskins
------
During the July 4th weekend, NC WANTED was notified that James Arthur Johnson filed a complaint to the North Carolina State Bar against his former attorney, Johnny Gaskins.

On Tuesday, July 8th, James Johnson confirmed to WRAL News that he filed a complaint regarding the statements made by Gaskins on NC WANTED's TV show and website.  Johnson declined to comment any further until he checked with his father and attorneys. 

A website urging visitors to file a complaint against Gaskins can be found at www.americaiswatching.org.   To see this website, click on the link in the gray sidebar next to this article.

Johnny Gaskins was the public defender assigned to represent James Johnson during the 2 1/2 years Johnson faced a possible death penalty for the murder of Brittany Lynn Willis of Wilson.  

After Johnson no longer faced a possible death penalty, Gaskins was removed from Johnson's case in December of 2006.

The crimes against Brittany Willis occurred June 28th, 2004, sometime between 3:45p.m. and 5p.m. at a construction site close to where James Johnson was living, and near the Brentwood Shopping Center in Wilson where Brittany Willis was abducted.

Three male suspects were charged with the crimes: Julian Tyson Deans, James Arthur Johnson and Kenneth Maurice Meeks, Jr.

Today, over four years since Brittany Willis was kidnapped, robbed, raped and murdered, Meeks has pleaded guilty to murder and now serves life without parole.

Julian Deans and James Johnson have yet to face trial.

Gaskins Soundbite Comments on TV

During the May 17th broadcast of NC WANTED, Johnny Gaskins made the following statements about his former client James Johnson:

"He shouldn't have cleaned up the car.  That's illegal."

"We never took the position he was Mr. Clean.  If he helped clean the car, he shouldn't have done that, that's a criminal offense."

"The murder case has been dismissed, and he's been charged with the thing we thought was the true issue all along."

Gaskins Full Comments in Context

Prior to the May 17th broadcast, Johnny Gaskins sat for an interview with NC WANTED.  Below are the full-length versions of the quotes Johnny Gaskins told to NC WANTED about his former client, James Johnson:

1.  GASKINS:  "My belief, yes. We argued from the beginning what has happened here is he’s not participated in a homicide. He shouldn’t have cleaned up the car, that’s illegal. The murder case has been dismissed and he’s been charged with the thing that we thought was the true issue all along. So, now they can have a trial on a case in which they have some evidence, um, they may win."

2.  GASKINS:  "And we never took the position he was mister clean, because if he helped clean up the car, he shouldn’t have done that. That’s uh, that is a criminal offense. Our issue was that he had been charged with the death penalty, first degree murder, rape, robbery, uh, things that could get him the death penalty um, when the evidence that he had committed that crime was nearly nonexistent. Now the accessory after the fact is a different issue, and that’s what they come back since they dismissed the murder case, that’s what’s out there now. But it’s an entirely different issue. Uh, and um, they’ve got a reasonable cause to pursue that."

3.  NC WANTED:  "We wonder if James Johnson will strike a plea deal with the second prosecutor, plead guilty to the Accessory charge, avoid a trial, get credit for his 39 months in jail, and move on."

GASKINS:  "That’s the proper result. Um, go ahead and give him credit for what he’s served, dispose of the accessory charge and um, everybody stops.  That’s what ought to happen."

4.  GASKINS:  "There was a lot going on, you know we were trying to get to the bottom of it.  We want the DNA, finally we get the DNA and the DNA matches Kenny and doesn’t match James. So, and that’s a major, major, major piece of evidence. I probably know every detail in this case."

More Comments by Johnny Gaskins

For the transcript of more of Gaskins' quotes to NC WANTED, go to the Documents section in the gray sidebar next to this article.  Then click 'TRANSCRIPT:  Quotes by Johnny Gaskins.'

-----

Timeline Notes in the Case

In the first two years of the Brittany Willis case, Kenneth Maurice Meeks, Jr. had been on record accusing James Arthur Johnson of the crimes against Brittany Lynn Willis of Wilson.

Meeks' accusations led to Johnson being held in jail for 24 months awaiting trial for Capital Murder, Rape, Kidnapping and Robbery. 

On April 10, 2006, Kenneth Maurice Meeks, Jr, pleaded guilty to the murder of Brittany Willis as part of a plea deal for dropping the other charges against him. Meeks now serves a sentence of life without the possibility of parole at the Foothills Correctional Institute in Morganton, NC.

On July 31, 2006, the 25th month Johnson had been in jail, Meeks publicly and officially recanted his accusations against Johnson, but the first prosecutor, Wilson County Assistant District Attorney Bill Wolfe, decided not to drop the charges against Johnson. James Johnson remained in jail for an additional 14 months.

On Septermber 24, 2007, after 39 months in jail, James Johnson was released on bail, and a special prosecutor took over the case, Belinda Foster of Forsyth County .

Three months later, in December 2007, special prosecutor, Belinda Foster, dropped all charges against Johnson, but she added a new charge against him, Accessory After the Fact to First-Degree Murder.

Shortly after the crimes in 2004, a third defendant, Julian Tyson Deans, was also charged with Accessorty After the Fact to First-Degree Murder.

Today, over four years after the crimes against Brittany Willis, a second special prosecutor, David McFadyen, has been assigned to the case.

Two remaining defendants, Julian Deans and James Johnson, have yet to face trial.

If you have information on this case, call NC WANTED toll free at 1.866.43.WANTED or click on "Report a Tip" Your identity can be kept confidential.