Criminal justice reform advocate on Joe Rogan’s show charged with murder after body parts found in apartment

Sheldon Johnson had previously served 25 years in prison for attempted murder but is now working as an activist

A criminal justice reform advocate who appeared on Joe Rogan’s show last month has been charged with murder after body parts were discovered in his apartment in the Bronx, New York.

The 48-year-old man, Sheldon Johnson, was arrested on Tuesday night and charged with manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon alongside the murder charge.

Police said that Sheldon was an ex-convict who had served about 25 years behind bars for attempted murder and other charges and now worked as a criminal justice reform advocate in the Bronx.

Authorities were reportedly called to 979 Summit Avenue in the Highbridge section of the Bronx at around 8.25pm local time for a wellness check of an occupant in Apartment 6G. But that wellness check led to a gruesome discovery of the body parts.

Police said that they discovered a torso and an arm inside the apartment in a plastic bin.

Later, detectives from the New York Police Department found the victim’s legs, arms and head in a freezer after obtaining a search warrant on Wednesday.

The victim was identified as 44-year-old Collin Smal. Police allege that he was shot in the head by the suspect, Johnson.

There were bullet fragments inside the victim’s head, the medical examiner said.

Officials report that concrete was discovered in the suspect’s vehicle, along with the recovery of a Tyvek suit.

Johnson appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast last month where he spoke about how he changed his life from crime to advocacy.

“It was at that moment that I really said – I have to change my life – I have to change my life – I just can’t do this,” Johnson said.

“I had a wife, I had kids, I had family still, my son was growing up – he was hearing stories of my so-called notoriety – I just didn’t want to be that dad.”

He also said: “Prison does two things to you: It brings out the best or it brings out the worst.”

Johnson was working as a criminal justice reform advocate for Queens Defenders in the Bronx.

Local media reported the Bronx neighbourhood was shaken by the incident. Resident Jose Marquez was quoted as saying by ABC 7 NY: “I noticed that a crime scene van was sitting here and a couple city vehicles. I didn’t know what was going on at the time, but then I assumed it was something bad because I saw the medical examiner coming in.”

Law enforcement sources told NBC News that after identifying Johnson in surveillance video, the authorities conducted a search of his apartment, where they discovered the victim’s legs, arms, and head stored in the freezer.

Sources suggested to the outlet that a conflict might have arisen between Small and Johnson, possibly rooted in their shared history from time spent together in prison.

For the residents, this marks another disturbing incident of violence within the same building.

Security footage from 2022 captured a suspect obscuring a security camera with spray paint just before three people, posing as police officers, violently entered an apartment in the building. Inside, they restrained a man and woman with zip ties and stole $20,000 from them. During the ordeal, the male victim was shot in the back.