THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1992
THE NAACP FREEDOM BANQUET IS TOMORROW AT 7 P.M.
28 PAGES THIS WEEK
Winston-Salem Chronicle
75 cents
"The Twin City's Award-Winning Weekly"
VOL. XVIII, NO. 33
Anatomy of a murder
Experts analyze what may have been a crime of passion
? Trace how a
domestic argument
turns from anger to
violence and then
to murder
B7 CTMAN 1 THXWSKENUt:
Chronida Staff writer
At 4 p.m. on Sunday, Antioch
Baptist Church on Lansing Drive
was filled to capacity. But this
crowd did not come to hear a ser
mon. This crowd was there for a
funeral. The crowd, made up of
Family members, children, friends
and church members, were aii there
to pay their last respects to Angela
Vernetta Johnson.
To many of them, Johnson was
an old friend, cherished family
member, mother of two, someone
they had seen grow up in the church
as a little girl.
To the community, 29-year-old
Johnson oniy rcccntiy became
known when the details of her trag
ic death hit the newspaper head
lines ? :
Early Thursday morning, April
2, Johnson was stabbed to death
with a butcher knife by her
boyfriend on the 2800-block of Old
Greensboro Road, while her 13
year-old daughter battled to help
her.
A neighbor, hearing Johnson's
screams fired a gun into the air and
the boyfriend fled. But by that time,
Johnson laid naked in a pool of
Please see page A1 2
Angela Johnson
a, Mack dismissed from trial . . . almost
sA
By SHERIDAN HILL
Chronicle Assistant Editor
*
In the on-going political corruption
trial of four local black leaders. Judge
William Osteen dismissed two of the
four charges against minister Lee Faye
Mack, and postponed the remaining two
charges.
Judge Osteen has instructed the jury
that if they hear evidence or testimony
that mentions Mack, they should not
consider it against her. However, he
strongly suggested that she remain in
court so that she will be fully informed
of court proceedings,
r v After three weeks of sitting on a
hard woodtft bench lit the Chilly court
~ room, Mack was disappointed she was
Minister Lh Faya Mack was rallavad whan con
spiracy char gas agalpat har wara drop pad.
Things I secretly desire
The Good Book warns usio avoid the tempta
tion of evil and most of us know why. Evil is that
icing on the hot buttery cinnamon roll. It looks
good, smells heavenly, and it tastes divine. It's try
ing to swallow it that'll damned near kill you.
Which is why it is good to sometimes fanta
size about things that aren't evil ? just stupid I
love to indulge in stupid fantasies. It's safe, sim
ple, and it won't cause you to go to hell ? such as
the desire of wanting to use the oxygen mask that
the airline stewardess swears will drop down from
the overhead storage bin "should the airplane
cabin lose pressure." Wonder how I would react?
Would I start hollering like a wild man, grabbing
and carrying on, threatening the lady, demanding
that she come put my mask on right NOW before
she puts hers on or Tm never gonna fly Delta
again!"
And speaking of flying, I'd really like to see if
those floor lights will light up leading the way
toward the exit door should the "plane lose
power." And I'd like to use those seats as a flota
tion device and be rescued after being in the warm
water for three minutes. On the other hand, I'd
love to jump out of a plane buck naked. Yes, with
out a single stitch, landing in the world's greatest
pillow filled with goose feathers.
And speaking of Mother Goose, I'd love to
listen to nothing but fairy tales for a month while
my children did all of the reading. I'd just sit there
and eat grapes and ask for oranges and apples.
And speaking of children, I wish that I knew what
I know now, and could be one of my children's
playmates. Imagine how much fun that would be.
I could be of such help in their learning to see
things differently. It is part of the parent's stupid
desire to always want to help their child to learn
life's lessons without enduring life's pain.
Please see page A1 3
not dismissed, but said she is thankful
nevertheless.
"I want to give God the glory,
because He's the one in charge," she said;
"And I want to thank my supporters.
Through all of the heartache, discourage
ment and sleepless nights this has
caused, I still believe that these bones
can live."
Mack and three pther local black
leaders, including Alderman Larry
Womble, are charged in a 28-count fed
eral indictment of political corruption.
Political consultant Rodney Sumler has
been described by the government as
man who forced businesses to hire him.
and to make $matio$s to black non-prof
Please see page A2
INSIDE . . . sec Page A3
Sumler s use of contributions questioned
WM
Courtroom quips
"The government's case is a being a lobbyist conducting business
series of disgruntled white business- as businessmen do. / see nothing
men who resented black elected offi- wrong with Rodney's actions. |
cials who responded to the needs of woman who described ktriitf tt t s^
their constituents for a return of eco- porter
nomic benefits into their community.
The issue of race here is sofunda- "All the defendants are my
mental to the presumptions of illegal- friends I want them to befoundfiot^
itylfit were white aldermen , #jut*y guilty* from what I've
charities, white lobbyists* none erf i \ dis6$vet^<mytfdn^ "
fttm ttlorMjlR* T
aaJBBB
'"?-"J S Rjgg ' , > s s Xs <' ' ' , - ,<-X ^?g!3?g?
, ?? ^ v i Vv "?
. !?**.
?
WXII-TV 12 target of community protest rally
By YVETTE N. FREEMAN
Community News Editor
Members of the Awakening Giants,
the Grassroots Alliance, the Nation of
Islam, and friends and supporters of the
Winston-Salem Four plan to hold a protest
rally at WXII Channel 12 on Coliseum
Drive, Friday, April 10 from 12-2 p.m.
The rally is in protest of the station's
alleged biased coverage of the racketeer
ing and extortion trial of Alderman Larry
Womble, the Rev. Lee Faye Mack, for
mer alderman Patrick Hairston, and
political consultant Rodney Sumler.
According to Rasheed Bey, the pres
ident and founder of The Awakening
Giants, the rally is "to respond to the
unfair and biased coverage of the Win
ston-Salem Four trial. They are trying to
portray that these people are guilty
before a verdict is reached."
The members of the participating
organizations are encouraging that the
African-American community boycott
watching programs on WXn, as well as
not buying the Winston-Salem Journal
newspaper. "They too have been working
hand-in-hand to establish an atmosphere
of guilt," Bey said of the Journal's report
ing of the trial. "The television station and
the Journal are actively working as a pro
paganda arm to destroy the reputation and
integrity of the Winston-Salem Four."
Officials at the Winston-Salem Journal
could not be reached for comment
But WXII officials deny that their
coverage of the trial has been biased in
any way. According to news director,
Bill Sandefur, "We have been very fair
and objective in what has been transpir
ing in the courtroom. And if they have
had a problem, there hasn't been one per
son who's brought it to our attention.**
He went on to say that the station
has been covering the trial as it would
any other trial, where the prosecution
presents its case first. "The important
thing to know here is that the judicial
system provides for the prosecution to
go first, so that's the only side we have to
report right now," he said. Sandefur also
stated that once the defense begins to
present its testimony, the station will
provide the same coverage as it has for
the prosecution.
Voter registration
turnout minimal
? Less than 200 people turned out,
even less registered; cold weather
may have kept many home
By YVETTE N. FREEMAN
Community New* Editor
Cold weather may have
kept most of Winston-Salem's
residents home Saturday instead
of at a voter registration drive in
the parking lot of the Mechanics
and Farmers Bank in East Win
ston.
Just under 200 people
braved the cold weather and
less than 50 actually registered
to vote at the drive, which was
sponsored by the Winston
Salem Alumnae Chapter of the
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority,
Inc., and held from 11 a.m. to 5
p.m. Saturday.
In addition to encourag
ing residents to register to vote,
local candidates for the school
board and the new 12th con
gressional district were also on
hand to share with the audience
their views on the political
issues. Among the school board
candidates who spoke at the
rally were Beaufort Bailey*
Walter Marshall, Annette Mor
gan Wilson, Henry Jones, and
David Thompkins. Also in
attendance were candidate for
District Court Judge, Nancy
Wooten; Republican candidate
for governor, Gary Dunn; and
Republican candidate for the
12th congressional district,
George Jones.
Wilson stated that she
was glad to have been a part of
the drive. "Whether you reach
one person or you reach a thou
sand, it's important,"she said.
TO SUBSCRIBE, CALL 722-8624, JUST DO IT!
Joan Lana of tha Dafta Sigma Thata Sorortty watches aa Rick Alaxandar (right) raglatara to
vota at tha votar raglat ration diiva hald Saturday.
"So I appreciate this organiza- an important factor. But you've for granted that everybody's
tion for giving us the opportuni- got to have these kinds of things going to be registered to vote,
ty and making it available. "And happening because all too often
I thinj^the weather, of course, is people have forgotten and take Please see pSQe A2