Warning:  This film is graphic.  

The heartbreaking story of LaVena Johnson, a member of the U.S. Army who was more than likely brutally murdered in Iraq continues to generate a buzz on the ‘net, despite the Army’s insistence that the case is closed:  LaVena Johnson committed suicide, they say.  

In fact, the case continues to garner attention because of the Army’s insistence that the case remained closed as a suicide.  All of the evidence blatantly points to the fact that LaVena Johnson was murdered in cold blood, and not by an enemy either, but by a fellow American.

Nigerian director Stanlee Ohikhuare decided to make a very powerful short film dedicated to LaVena’s story, called Verdict.  The film is about 10 minutes long, and it tells the horrific story that LaVena herself could not, while showing how unlikely it is that LaVena’s injuries were indeed self inflicted.

“I just can’t understand how any human being would go through all of this just to kill him/herself,”  says Ohikhuare on the film’s comment section, referring to the many supposed “self inflicted” injuries that LaVena was found to have suffered, including chemical burns and broken bones.  ”It hurts more to note that America keeps trying to enforce so-called justice all over the world, when the system can not ensure that citizens of America get justice.  Justice denied is the worst form of injustice.”

You can sign the petition asking officials to reopen the investigation into LaVena’s death here.