Evidence Disappeared in Alleged James Brown Murder
James Brown was an iconic R&B singer, songwriter, and dancer who passed away on December 25, 2006. His official cause of death was listed as congestive heart failure, but there have been rumors circulating about foul play since his passing. The latest allegations come from a woman named Jacque Hollander, who claims that James Brown was murdered. However, crucial pieces of evidence in the case have disappeared, leaving many questions unanswered.
Jacque Hollander’s Allegations
Jacque Hollander is a former songwriter who was once close to James Brown. According to her, James Brown had revealed a shocking secret to her just days before his death. He told her that he had been murdered and that his death was not from natural causes. In an interview with David Blakey, a retired homicide detective, Hollander claimed that Brown had a specific person in mind when he spoke about his murder.
Crucial Evidence
Hollander’s allegations have brought the case back into the spotlight after more than a decade. However, many of the crucial pieces of evidence have been lost or destroyed over the years. The first red flag was when the doctor who signed James Brown’s death certificate, Marvin Crawford, revealed that he had never examined Brown’s body. This raised questions about the accuracy of the official cause of death. Furthermore, Crawford claimed that Brown’s widow, Tomi Rae Hynie, asked him to give her a prescription for a strong sedative just days before Brown’s death.
The Missing X-rays and Autopsy Report
The next piece of missing evidence involves Brown’s X-rays and autopsy report. After James Brown’s death, his body was taken to the Porter Funeral Home in Augusta, Georgia, where his daughter, Yamma Brown, claims that she saw her father’s body in a locked casket. However, when the casket was opened for the funeral service, Yamma noticed something strange about her father’s body. She claimed that her father’s legs looked different, and the suit didn’t fit properly.
Change of Death Certificate
After the funeral, Brown’s death certificate was changed from “natural causes” to “undetermined.” The district attorney reopened the case, but it was later closed without any new evidence being found. In 2017, Dr. Marvin Crawford claimed that he had viewed Brown’s body and that there were signs of foul play. He stated that Brown’s skull had been moved, and he had bruises on his chest that could not have been caused by CPR.
Court Order for X-rays and Autopsy Report
In 2018, Jacque Hollander filed a lawsuit against the city of Atlanta demanding James Brown’s X-rays and autopsy report. However, when the Fulton County Superior Court ordered the documents to be released, they were nowhere to be found. The city of Atlanta claimed that the records had been destroyed in a flood in 2015. Another lawsuit was filed in 2019, and a judge ordered the city to pay a $352,000 fine for not releasing the documents.
Hynie’s Claims
Tomi Rae Hynie, James Brown’s widow, has been accused of withholding evidence and lying about her relationship with Brown. She was married to another man when she married Brown, which led to legal battles over his estate after his death. Hynie claimed that she was not married to the other man and that she had a legitimate marriage to Brown. However, evidence surfaced proving that she was still married when she claimed to have married Brown.
Conclusion
The disappearance of crucial evidence in the alleged murder of James Brown makes it difficult to prove or disprove the claims made by Jacque Hollander and others. However, it is clear that there are still many unanswered questions about Brown’s death. The city of Atlanta has been ordered to pay a fine for not releasing the X-rays and autopsy report, but that doesn’t bring us any closer to uncovering the truth. Until more evidence is found, the rumors about foul play in James Brown’s death will continue to circulate.
