Johnny Cashman Jr. Case: Analyze This - What happened to Johnny?

As an ER Nurse of 25 years, GI bleeds are the worst. I’ve had 2 men whose rooms looked like crime scenes before we could get NG tubes down them. They were distraught and disoriented, literally fighting staff. We had to throw down blankets to walk on so I wouldn’t slip down in blood. And their only medical history was alcoholism. So I could totally see this happening in the absence of any wounds. Hopefully the swabs they took should be able to provide some level of confirmation. That being said…the guy that he let stay with him just leaving him in that condition and trying to erase he was there instead of calling for help is just sad. The investigation was obviously incomplete and that’s unfair to the family!

Wow, I had to watch this one twice. How could the police have originally believed that he “didn’t suffer” and that it “happened in an instant”? There was blood everywhere, it wasn’t just bloody vomit it was smeared on surfaces in several different rooms. Who would ever see that and think “well this was a quick, peaceful, painless death.” It’s incredibly clear that was not the case. I can’t imagine the police could have any valid reasons for telling the family that. Definite negligence on the part of the police.

First of all: if you are Johnny’s family and you are reading this—-I’m just so sorry. I cannot begin to imagine what you are going through. I hope you get the answers you DESERVE and soon. My words here are not able to convey my sincerest condolences. Arrin, I’ve watched you for 3-4 years and I think this video and how you produced it is your best work yet and that’s saying something. Thank you for bringing Johnny’s story to us. I’ll never ever forget what I just witnessed! Honestly, I’ve never seen in my 40 years of life a more compelling, horrifying mystery; crime and the existence of evil has fascinated me all my life. The way you put this together is truly something…I don’t even have words. Your videos impart some of the horror that the victims endured which is something that most productions often gloss over; you treat your audience like adults. Frankly, you’re doing a service in bringing this case(and others) to a wider audience because too often police departments seemingly won’t do their JOBS! The public has a better solve rate than the absolute buffoons running too many investigations. I feel so angry for this family because not only did they lose their loved one but then to almost be re-victimized by authorities is just beyond the pale. I

Shocking to think the police didn't have an autopsy done and that they told the family not to... Very strange that the police ignored the CCTV footage until the family demanded answers... RIP Johnny. 😔 I hope the family get more answers.

This is my analysis based on the video evidence and comment discussion: JCJr suffered GI bleeding after returning to his apartment. Whether it was natural causes or inflicted by SC is up to debate. But due to the medical report claiming no trauma, lets assume natural. The voice in the video saying "wtf stop" is SC telling JCJr to stop bleeding and vomiting. There is a feint reply by JCJr that sounds like "i cant stop" which is not subtitled. The screams of help in the final footage after SC leaves is indeed JCJr's voice. Someone in the comments mentioned JCJr's missing phone, which could have been taken by SC. I believe in this moment of panic, opportunistic thief was committed by SC instead of getting help. He appears to walk back to the door and pull his jacket sleeve over his hand and wipe the handle, and make sure it was locked. The police not mentioning the blood and vomit was complete incompetence. The medical examiner explanation while not thorough, was somewhat valid if they had no context of the evidence scene. The police pre-emptively told the families their conclusions before investing further due to incompetence. Now after they finally reviewed the tape, they identified the suspect and they are doing damage control. I do not believe there was murder or cover up here. Someone panicked during a medical emergency and neglected to get help, then chose to avoid responsibility by escaping out of fear. Combined that with police incompetence and this it what it looks like to me.

I'm an RN and have some experience with ruptured esophageal varices which can create a bloody and violent scene. A doctor wouldn't necessarily diagnose someone with this during a regular exam....but I would've expected there to be more symptoms and history related to his alcohol abuse. Without any medical issues aside from HTN and mental health issues....the alcoholism I would've imagined to be causing other medical issues prior to this....typically. So frustrating with all of these factors mixed together with a suspicious person coming and going and shouting for help....if the police and medical examiner had any brain they would've done an autopsy and it could've easily determined what I'm suggesting. But since that didn't happen I have no faith in my guess....I wish we could know what the house guest told police....so upsetting for this family.

To say this case is disturbing is putting it mildly. First and foremost there is no reasonable explanation for the behavior of LE.

By all available evidence at the site where his body was found, to surveillance footage, to the speedy conclusion as to cause of death… there is something fundamentally wrong here. An autopsy - at the very least - should have been done, & given the state of the apartment, it should have been considered a crime scene until proven otherwise, ESPECIALLY given the audio surveillance which is clearly indicative of some kind of dispute, plus the close timing of these events. Now that the body has been cremated at the suggestion of LE, if foul play took place, we may never know. Also their lack of forensic investigation into the scene of death again makes it near impossible for the best intentioned LE officers to do a proper investigation. How many other cases are dismissed with such random disregard to discerning the true cause of death, whether it be natural or suspicious?

After several viewings, I had to force myself to focus on the audio as a scene where Johnny was not being attacked and/or stabbed. In so doing, I listened to the audio in slow motion, and it does sound as if one man is puking and the screams are the other man's reaction to the blood in the vomit and the horror of such a scene. When (Steven) yells, "Stop it!" You can hear (Johnny) reply weakly, "I can't...." followed by sounds that could be violent puking. Also, if you slow down the video of Steven leaving Johnny's apartment, he moves and acts as if he is trying to shake off something horrible he has just witnessed. Specifically, the way he pulls up his collar and wipes both hands over his face. Steven Church is 100% guilty of not calling an ambulance and running away; and considering his criminal record, I think it's because he grabbed whatever cash or small valuables Johnny may have had before he left. So, in the end, my opinion is that Johnny was drunk, and had some kind of a gastric bleed attack, but rather than do the right thing and call for help, Steven Church is a crook and a coward. One more thing, when Johnny first returns home and walks up the steps, he is weaving and does not appear to be healthy or at least, sober. Perhaps he was starting to feel sick to his stomach or pain that was the start of a gastric bleed of some kind. Regardless, the only certain fact in this case is that the police handled this one poorly. My sympathies and prayers are with Johnny's family. I pray they find peace.

I live up the road from where this took place. The guy Steven Church went back up to the door to wipe his fingerprints off. He did know the code. Also when he puts his left hand up to his collar while at the door, if you pause the video you can see that his left hand is very red. It could be from practically burning it trying to wash it, or it could be from punching something or someone so hard that your skin turns red. I believe that this guy Steven assaulted Johnny in such a manner that he had internal organ damage causing him to vomit blood and feces. He only was able to yell for help in between vomiting. You also can see his backpack and jacket that was on his back coming up the steps are now laying in the bedroom floor. In the pictures I noticed two items that could have been used to hit him with. One looks like a shower curtain rod. The other looks like some type of other pipe. I know Lynchburg Police Department got this wrong. The police also went back on April 27 and collected more evidence after the family of Johnny Cashman called them about the video and pictures that his ex girlfriend sent them. I also have a video that was shared by Noreen Turyn of WSET news 13 of the police going back to collect evidence late at night days later. I have followed this case closely because my mother Karen East was brutally murdered by her estranged husband here in Lynchburg Virginia in 2001 on April 28 on the corner of Campbell Avenue which runs right into Kemper Street. Nothing like this should ever happen to anyone’s family members and loved ones. And I’m so sorry that Johnny Cashman‘s family is not going to receive the justice they deserve. My step daughter Christina was very active in sharing this story when the police were looking for Steven. She even posted on his moms fb page on Mother’s Day alerting her that LPD was looking for her son. The statement he gave the police when finally questioned was that Steven and Johnny were both squatting in the apartment and that Johnny wanted to stay and Steven wanted to leave before they got in trouble. This is according to stevens ex girlfriend I believe. I’m not buying it. Johnny was just coming home from work and he looked very tired when he climbed those stairs. He deserved to have a chance at living a normal life. He moved here because he had a child that lived here with his ex girlfriend and he wanted to be close to his baby. He was a good guy.

HOW IS THIS EVEN A QUESTION?! There is a video of practically this poor man’s entire murder!! This makes zero sense why Church isn’t locked up. Happy I found your channel! You do great work 🌟

Everyone who watches this needs to share it. As many people as possible need to see this. This is appalling. This obviously was no "death by natural causes", and Johnny and his family deserve justice.

Did anybody notice the bottle of TUMS on the TV table next to the old chair? History of stomach problems or ulcers, etc?

My uncle was a longtime alcoholic and died from a GI bleed. When he was found passed away in his home, his house looked exactly like the photos of Johnny’s apartment. My uncle was home alone at the time. I’m not saying there was nothing criminal that happened with Johnny, but seeing these photos, it’s pretty much identical to my uncles situation.

I just binge watched all of your videos. How did I not know about you? I follow so many true crime channels and you are by far the very best. You should have a million followers as your videos are so well done. Thank you for all the attention you bring to these cases. Please keep up the great work!

After viewing this a few times, it appears the ‘what are you doing?” voice never breaks, never shows any type of interference as the person is speaking, all while the struggle sounds are happening simultaneously with the speaking voice, therefore I believe it possibly belongs to the couch crusher reacting to what would be a medical emergency unfolding before him, it’s sad that this person for whatever reason decided to leave the other person in distress instead of calling for an ambulance to come and help him, he might have been alive today.

Arrin I love your channel but lost touch during COVID-19, now I’m glad I jumped back on your channel. Your better than ever, keep up the great work brother !

The officials need to be investigated by the FBI or some outside agency. There is obvious corruption. The audio is chilling and I weep for this victim. Thank you for bringing this to the attention of the world.

I have only watched this once, however want to note a few things. First, I find it odd that the houseguest was reportedly staying in the apartment for a few nights but when leaving doesn't have a backpack, a small suitcase, nothing. Does this mean his belongings were left behind in the apartment? Secondly it also seems odd that LE would take it upon themselves to recommend something specific to family regarding a deceased person's remains. Without knowing a particular family's financial resources, religious beliefs etc why go there? It's not LE's job to drum up business for cremation services. Finally, "medical condition" is a serious red flag as well as "bad liver". One term is so vague as to mean countless things and the other I would be embarrassed to type on a death certificate. Thank you Arrin for doing such a great job with this and another thank you to your subscriber who made the suggestion.

Okay so I did some digging of my own and found a couple things. Specifically a report from October 6th from the City of Lynchburg Attorney stating that they would not be pursuing criminal charges. It states that on April 14th Johnny left his apartment at 1pm with a trash bag and that empty glass(except it contained liquid at that time) He then returned as seen on the video to his apartment at 3:03. At 3:04(the report says 3:40 but I believe this is a typo as a version of the video I found with the time code says 3:04 and the next time in the reports timeline is 3:11) the yelling is heard. At 3:11 "SC" is seen exiting the apartment and then turning around to wipe the door handle. A minute later(3:12) "Help! Help! Help!" can be heard. Sounds of scraping and thuds can be heard until the video ends at 3:17. "SC" was not located and interviewed until over a month later, on May 23rd! "SC" claims he was in Lynchburg for work but the job fell through, during that time he had no money and asked people for a place to stay. Johnny let him stay in his apartment for 3 days, the last day being the day Johnny died. "SC" describes Johnny as always being drunk and incoherent. This is where the report gets a little strange and I kind of wanna see the transcript of the interview to see if this is actually how it played out. "SC" says that one day Johnny came in and yelled at him for not paying rent and going through his clothes. It seems that after this "SC" was shown the video with the audio and asked about the statements in it. It seems that only then did "SC" specify that this argument about rent and going through Johnny's clothes happened right before "SC" left and is what can be heard in the video. "SC" claims that it wasn't a physical altercation and that when he left Johnny was hunched over the toilet looking like he was about to vomit, which he claims Johnny did regularly because he was always drunk. Then "SC" was asked about why he wiped the door handle and responded " he did that because of the aggravated burglaries on his record. Church did not want to be accused of squatting at the apartment." Two things: First, "SC" does indeed have two aggravated burglaries on his criminal record, and claims that was part of why he left "didn't want any more trouble". Secondly, I see no sense in wiping the door knob of an apartment you were squatting in with the owners permission. The report concludes that Johnny died from a gastro-intestinal bleed and that there is insufficient evidence to charge "SC". So I looked into GI bleed and it turns out that yes, they can be very severe and fatal and that alcoholism can make it worse. It is very possible that this was the cause of death and the medical examiner found no signs of physical trauma(though again, this was not a full autopsy and was after 5 days of decomposition. I also found that GI bleeds can be caused by outside actions. I am in no way an expert, but I see two possible scenarios: One. Only a minute after returning to his apartment(a big coincidence, but possible) Johnny suffered a severe GI bleed and began to bleed out while "SC" yelled and freaked out(the audio doesn't sound like vomiting but more like thuds though). Rather than help Johnny or call 911"SC" just left the apartment(after seven minutes had passed). "SC" didn't directly cause Johnny's death in this scenario, but definitely contributed to it by standing by while he died. Two. And this is the one I'm leaning towards. Johnny did in fact catch "SC" in the act as he returned to his apartment. "SC" was searching his clothes and other belongings for valuables to steal before leaving town when Johnny walked in on him. Rather than wait for the law to get involved or to just run, "SC" chose to attack Johnny, who yelled "What are you doing!" and "Stop it!" beating him severely and possible knocking him unconscious. He then spent the next 7 minutes collecting his things and wiping his fingerprints before leaving, remembering to wipe the door handle just as he was exiting. If Johnny has lost consciousness he must have come to by this time. Either during or after the attack, the injuries Johnny sustained resulted in a GI bleed. He knew he was in trouble and called for help and tried to make his way around the apartment, at one point he tried to use his phone but couldn't, hence the bloodstain.(It's likely "SC" didn't steal this because it was likely on Johnny's person when he returned to apartment and not lying out in the open.) Johnny eventually died of his injuries. It's possible and likely that "SC" didn't mean to kill Johnny, but just beat him up so he wouldn't get in his way. It would still count as murder though and I believe this is close to what happened. The problem is the police made such a mess of this case that there isn't enough evidence to make a case and actually convict "SC". I think the city's attorney knows this but doesn't want to straight up admit it. I think he was murdered and his killer will get to walk free.