Father doesn't think daughter committed suicide in Iraq

ST. LOUIS -- John Johnson has seen the photos of his daughter's lifeless body. He has seen the documents detailing the Army's investigation. He has even seen the full-color, graphic autopsy photos.

It all leads him to one conclusion: His daughter did not commit suicide, as the Army has said.

"Beyond a doubt, LaVena was murdered," Johnson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for a story published Sunday. "And my opinion is that people want me to go away. But that isn't going to happen."

Army Pfc. LaVena Lynn Johnson was found dead July 19, 2005, in a small contractor's tent in Balad, Iraq. Army investigators and coroners ruled she had shot herself in the mouth with an M-16 rifle.

Nearly three years later, Johnson is trying to get someone, anyone to listen to his pleas to get his daughter's case reopened. He has argued with Army officials, pleaded with legislators.

Johnson also had his daughter's body exhumed from Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery and autopsied again. He may ask for a third autopsy after being unsatisfied with the results.

"I have one goal and one goal only, and that's get to get La-Vena her due process of law," said Johnson, of Florissant, Mo. "I'm trying to get justice for my daughter.

Chris Grey, spokesman for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command in Fort Belvoir, Va., says the Army stands by the command's finding that Johnson's gunshot was self-inflicted -- just as the Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner in Rockville, Md., ruled.

"CID conducted a very thorough and complete investigation, as well as a very thorough review of the case, and we stand by the findings of our investigation," Grey said.

Johnson claims the investigation is full of holes.

He is troubled that no bullet was ever found and questions whether it was an M-16 that was used to take her life. Johnson said he took black-and-white photocopies of his daughter's body to his brother, Joseph Johnson, who has an associate's degree in criminal science.

John Johnson said the photos indicate LaVena had a broken nose and a split lip, scratches and bruises on her arms, and burns on her right leg and hand. He also said there were signs her genital area was "torn up" and that something unnatural, perhaps lye, was evident in the area.

Johnson contends his daughter was attacked, raped and had her body dumped in the tent, where a fire was started in hopes of destroying her remains.

According to Army records in the case, a witness said he had heard an explosion, then saw a flash of flames coming from the tent. He and another witness found two fires in the tent, along with the soldier's lifeless body.

A report from the autopsy at Dover Air Force Base three days after LaVena's death said she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and that the injuries from her face were a direct result of the weapon discharging. It did not mention burns, scratches or bruises, other than two abrasions on her right hand, or any indication of vaginal injuries.

The St. Louis medical examiner, Dr. Michael Graham, performed the second autopsy and he, along with the St. Louis County medical examiner, Dr. Mary Case, agreed with results of the military's autopsy, though they stopped short of labeling the death a suicide.

Johnson still isn't buying it.

He's making his case for a new investigation through a Web site (www.lavenajohnson.com) and an online petition that has more than 11,400 signatures.

Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis spoke about the Johnson family's frustration at a House committee hearing in spring 2007 and has not dismissed the possibility of a congressional hearing on LaVena's death.