Three Years Ago Today–The Killing of David Josiah Lawson Changed This County

First, a look at the numbers in the investigation into the stabbing death of David Josiah Lawson:

In Three Years:

• Three police chiefs (Tom Chapman, Richard Elhe, Brian Ahearn)
• Three mayors – (Sophia Perrera, Brett Watson, Michael Winkler)
• Thirty-five monthly vigils
• Multiple protests at Arcata City Council meetings
• One suspect released without charges in May of 2017 
• One “substantial cash reward” offered for arrest of suspect
• One claim for damages against the City of Arcata 
• One review of APD efforts by National Police Foundation
• One Criminal Grand Jury declining to indict anyone
• One California Attorney General’s Office refusing to take the case
• One documentary 

The untimely death of David Josiah ‘DJ’ Lawson in the wee hours of April 15, 2017 shocked Humboldt County and the community of Arcata. Lawson was stabbed to death at an off-campus gathering of HSU students. The violent incident left one young man dead, and another in custody- charged with the murder.  

After years of monthly vigils, advocating at Arcata City Council meetings and protesting at the County courthouse, some reflection has happened, leading to a few changes within the Arcata Police Department (APD). 

The recent completion of an extensive outside analysis by the National Police Foundation (NPF) of the case work and the operations by the APD led to the local police department taking actions to develop resources that were not previously in place, in order to do better in the future.  This development, among continued outreach efforts, has been highlighted in moving the case forward although it has not produced an arrest in the case.  

According to the current Arcata Police Chief, Brian Ahearn, the investigation is continuing regardless of the time that has passed, and still needs input from the public.  With recently gleaned constructive feedback on how to improve it’s investigation protocols and oversight in similar investigations, the APD is making changes within the institution to correct mistakes that hindered the Lawson case investigation, according to City Manager Karen Deimer as well as Chief Ahearn.  

Chief Ahearn explained, “The Josiah Lawson murder investigation is on-going.  This investigation will remain the top investigative priority for APD regardless of other crime, quality of life, crisis’ and events we are managing.  All APD personnel are steadfast in our goal of bringing justice in this case.”  

Ahearn said that specifically, “There is still reluctance on the part of some to contact APD.  We have said from the beginning, and it is true to this day, that we have to be open and accessible to people on their terms.  When they are ready to come forward we will be here to investigate what it is they say and the information they provide. The 24 hour tip line has resulted in identifying people who were present that night who were previously unknown. The process of identifying, locating and interviewing all people who were present is on-going.” 

 After three police chiefs in two years, and three years of ongoing investigation since the death of David Josiah Lawson, witnesses of the April 2017 tragedy are being asked to call the tip-line at (707) 825-2590, anonymously or not. 

Looking back at the last three years of the Lawson case- all of the protests, the meetings, the press releases, and the intense community reactions to the ongoing investigation- entails looking at dozens of local media reports, each of them referencing the untimely death of David Josiah Lawson.  The case has even inspired a documentary, which came out in the fall of 2019. 

Kyle Zoellner was arrested for murder that night. However, on May 5, 2017, following the preliminary hearing for Zoellner, Judge Reinholtsen of the Superior Court of Humboldt County ruled there was insufficient evidence presented by the prosecution to support the homicide charges, and Kyle Zoellner was released from custody. This development was met by outrage and confusion among the HSU student population particularly. Three years later, the cause of Lawson’s death is still the source of debate and division in the community.

While the past three years of ups and downs in the investigation of the Lawson case has seen some encouraging developments, like DNA evidence on the knife used to kill Lawson, and the testimony of witnesses, it has also been fraught with confusion and painful delays in progress.  Several city council meetings have been disrupted and even shut down due to ongoing protests over the years.  

A local group of activists began collaborating in the early months following the stabbing, naming their group the “Justice For Josiah Committee” in order to organize efforts to assist in the pursuit of truth in the ongoing investigation. The group has maintained regular meetings ever since, has pressured the Arcata City Council and the Arcata Police Department to ensure focus on the case, and still coordinates monthly vigils on the 15th of each month.  After 35 months of vigils, the group has not let up, and even in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, will hold the three-year memorial vigil live via Zoom conference call today.

For three years now, monthly vigils for the slain student have not only celebrated his impact on the Humboldt State University community, but also continue to serve as a reminder to the community, as well as to local officials, that the investigation is still a priority. Undeterred in finding justice for her son, Charmaine Lawson has traveled back to Humboldt County from her home in southern California dozens of times seeking information and support, as well as giving support to local community groups via grassroots organizing.

In her son’s honor, she has also advanced several community efforts, including organizing an annual winter coat drive in her son’s name, rallying with local healthcare workers for fair contracts, giving speeches at local community gatherings in furtherance of immigration justice issues, and even starting a scholarship fund in Josiah Lawson’s name, in addition to other contributions of advocacy for communities in Humboldt County. 

Ms. Lawson was also given a posthumously awarded graduation certificate in her son’s name, and walked in the graduation procession in his memory at Humboldt State University last year.

The Justice for Josiah Committee has seen many faces come and go throughout the past three years, including a handful of police investigators integral to the case, three police chiefs, three city mayors, and one independently contracted FBI investigator, all who have contributed in some way to the investigation, but so far all have collectively come up short in conclusively solving the controversial case. While there is a “substantial cash reward” offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction, the case remains open as detectives are still looking for leads. 

An effort to gain insight from faded memories and transferred HSU students is ongoing three years later. Among the issues that complicated the prosecution of the case was the DNA evidence found on the knife used to stab Lawson, which was difficult for investigators to parse out- taking many months before being presented to the DA, and ultimately not resulting in a clear determination of guilt. District Attorney Maggie Fleming indicated that she needed more than DNA evidence to go on.

A press release issued by Humboldt’s District Attorney Maggie Fleming on January 18, 2019 stated,

The interpretation of the analysis of DNA on the knife is of course critical to the case. That is one of the issues we found incompletely resolved in the casefile we received from the Arcata Police Department, therefore we requested additional information on the analysis from the California Department of Justice. We must know what experts will say under oath about the DNA analysis to make a just decision about the case. We are also seeking additional information on a second issue. Justice would not be served by a decision by our Office that does not take into account critical existing information.

Not long after this statement by the DA, a criminal grand jury was convened for the purpose of assessing evidence in order to bring charges against the same original suspect, Kyle Zoellner, only to fall short of convincing the jurors. The District Attorney’s Office released this short statement in March of 2019 regarding the outcome: “ On March 13, the Grand Jury declined to indict any person in the stabbing death of David Josiah Lawson.  Therefore, no charges will be filed in the case. The District Attorney has notified Mr. Lawson’s family of this outcome.”

This development was yet another element of frustration to the advocates for Josiah Lawson, and further complicated the situation by landing the investigation back in the hands of the Arcata Police Department for the third time.  In an open letter published widely in local media, Charmaine Lawson questioned the efforts of local police, as well as the position of the District Attorney regarding the evidence thus far collected.  

In the letter of March 28th 2019, Lawson stated in part, 

I was told by the three chiefs of police from APD and a city official that Kyle Zoellner’s DNA is on the knife that was used to murder my son. It is time that Humboldt County residents call out and address the Arcata City officials and Humboldt County DA Maggie Fleming regarding DNA evidence appearing on the knife that was used to murder a young college student. I cannot bring my son back, but we can help take a murderer off the streets. I demand that the DA’s office hand over a copy of the official Grand Jury transcript to my lawyers.

When a Humboldt County criminal grand jury declined to return an indictment, the monthly vigil in memory of David Josiah Lawson turned to a protest. The gathering was organized by the Justice for Josiah group at the Humboldt County Superior Courthouse, in the shadow of District Attorney Maggie Fleming’s office. Charmaine Lawson addressed a crowd of about 75 supporters at the courthouse, asking for solidarity in demanding that the California Attorney General take up the prosecution of the case. Her wish for the case to be taken over by the AG was not to come to fruition.

Humboldt County District Attorney Maggie Fleming also made a request to the CA Attorney General directly, asking that their office consider taking the case over, in April of 2019.  After the grand jury process failed to produce a conviction, which is nearly unheard of in a criminal grand jury hearing, the California Attorney General still declined to take up the case, issuing their determination months later, in December of 2019. The CA AG found that there was no conflict of interest within the Humboldt County District Attorney’s office, or that the DA had abused their discretion in handling the case, either of which would be grounds for reconsideration by the CA AG. 

At the two-year memorial vigil on the 15th of April, 2019 Charmaine Lawson spoke briefly  to the crowd of over 100 people at the Arcata Plaza.  In part, she stated, “I really don’t have much to say. this is very emotional.  I want to thank you all for continuing to show up for my son. Continue to show up for my son, for our family, for the students of HSU, they need your support… I don’t even know what to say -this is heartbreaking.”

The City of Arcata invested in the objective review of their police department’s handling of the Lawson case in hopes of learning what went wrong and if possible, what they could do better. The 65-page NPF report was commissioned to the tune of $35,000,– paid by the city of Arcata, hoping to get a full assessment of what they did correctly, and what they did not do correctly. The results of the report were awaited for over a year, finally culminating in the independent determination that the Lawson investigation was seriously compromised by a lack of oversight as well as incompetence on the part of officers directly responsible for important aspects of the case investigation.

The NPF’s entire report was neatly summarized in the context of the ongoing investigation by Arcata News in a video recently produced.  Their video recap of the 65 page National Police Foundation report calls attention to  the issues brought to light by the in-depth report, as well as summarizing what was recommended the police department should do moving forward.

Regarding the outcome of the evaluation by the NPF, the City of Arcata has taken steps to address the institutional shortcomings identified by the report’s findings. In a memorandum submitted to the city council on March 23, 2020 from the Arcata Police Department, the department noted various areas of concern, stating “The NPF Assessment Team cited training, operational leadership, planning and supervision as areas to strengthen within the Arcata Police Department. The NPF report contains 36 recommendations; all of which have either been implemented or will be implemented.”

As far as actively making these changes in order to correct the deficiencies outlined within the 65-page analysis, the APD states in the memo that they have “developed a plan of implementation” in order to move forward proactively. Part of this plan is to “re-implement the Investigations Division” because as the memo states, an “Investigations Division is needed in order to provide the City of Arcata with the contemporary law enforcement structure to conduct basic and complex investigations.” The memo to the Arcata city council goes on to explain, “The Investigations Division, once consisting of a lone Detective Sergeant, is now comprised of an Investigations Lieutenant, a Detective Sergeant, two Detectives and the newly created Police Evidence and Property Technician position. The Evidence Technician is a critical link to completing evidence-based investigations.”

Arcata City Manager Karen Deimer, who has held that position since before the tragic death of Josiah Lawson, noted in an interview this week that the APD still needs help, and is not going to let up. Deimer states, “It is still is very important that individuals who attended the party that evening or who have heard things before or after the party that could aide the investigation come forward. This case is very much an active investigation and we are committed to getting the necessary personal accounts and case support to finalize it.”

Witnesses of the April 2017 tragedy are asked to call, anonymously or not, the recently established tip-line at area code (707) 825-2590.

When reached for comment yesterday, Police Chief Ahearn invited witnesses or people with information to reach out to him directly, “The Arcata Police Department Dispatch phone number is (707) 822-2424. My cellphone number is (707) 601-6943. Also, the attached Public Service Announcement is Facebook compatible. Please help us get the word out that we need people to come forward. We have the science. The DNA will not change. We need people to corroborate what the DNA has proven.”

Earlier Stories about David Josiah Lawson:

• 19-Year-Old HSU Student Dies After Stabbing in Arcata Early This Morning
• 23-Year-Old McKinleyville Resident Arrested in Connection with HSU Student’s Stabbing Death
• HSU Offers Students Who Witnessed Stabbing Death Amnesty for Breaking School Rules; Asks Cooperation With Police
• Arcata Police Not Releasing Photo of Suspect in Stabbing Death for Now
• APD Received Anonymous Email About Fatal Stabbing; Pleads With Writer to Come Forward
• Celebration of the Life of Stabbing Victim Will be Held at Humboldt State University Today; Racial Bias Alleged to Have Led to Death
• Hundreds Mourn Slain HSU Student at Thursday Vigil
• Uncle of Fatal Stabbing Suspect Writes Letter to the Editor Urging Community Re-examine Public Statements Made in the Case
• Family of Arcata Stabbing Suspect Claims the Real Killer Has Not Been Caught (Includes Timeline of Events as Presented in Public Statements by Those at the Party)
• HSU and Arcata Police Issue Statements Following Release of Kyle Zoellner in the Stabbing Death of David Josiah Lawson
• District Attorney’s Office Issues Statement as Defendant in Racially Charged Case Released
• Family of Kyle Zoellner Who Was Released Today in Stabbing Death Issues Statement to Family and Friends of Victim
• Justice for Josiah Gathering Keeps Arcata Lively Tonight; Another Protest Called for Tomorrow
• Letter to the Community of Arcata from Kyle Zoellner’s Uncle
• Chanting “‘Justice for Josiah,’ Protesters Gather at the Courthouse
• Family Announces $10,000 Reward for Information Leading to Conviction of Killer of David Josiah Lawson
• APD Chief and Victim’s Mother Offer Updates on the Stabbing Death of David Josiah Lawson
• Letter From Family Member Questions Testimony of Witnesses in Hearing About Kyle Zoellner’s Possible Role in the Death of David Josiah Lawson
• ‘Reckless Statements’ Were Made by Tom Parker, and Lawson Attorney, Shelley Mack, Writes Uncle of Kyle Zoellner in Letter to the Editor
• Protestors Take Over Arcata City Council Meeting Demanding Justice for Josiah
• A Deeper Look at Last Thursday’s Disruption of the Arcata City Council by Protesters Demanding That Tom Parker Be Asked Back to Help in the Josiah Lawson Case
• Mother of Josiah Lawson Claims DNA on Knife Identifies her Son’s ‘Murderer’, Calls for Justice
• Grand Jury ‘Declines’ to Indict Anyone for Stabbing Death of David Josiah Lawson
• Arcata Police Say They Will ‘Work to Identify the Suspect who Murdered David Josiah Lawson’ After Grand Jury Declines to Indict Anyone
• APD Requests Public’s Help Identifying Potential Witnesses in Stabbing Death of David Josiah Lawson
• Zoellner’s DNA on Knife Used to Kill Her Son, Says Mother of David Josiah Lawson in Open Letter
• DA’s Office Responds to Letter From Mother of Slain HSU Student
• Who Killed Josiah? A Documentary About Humboldt County and Racism
• California Attorney General’s Office Declines to Take Up Case of David Josiah Lawson
• National Police Foundation Released its Independent Review of Josiah Lawson Case