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Louisville, Kentucky

The Murder of Jeremy Lind

● Case Closed Torture Murder Multiple Defendants
Victim
Jeremy Lind
Age
35
Date of Death
September 27–29, 2020
Location
Louisville, Kentucky
Cause of Death
Asphyxiation
Convicted
Johnson, Branham & Rosselot
Relationship
Acquaintances
Status
All Sentenced, 2023
01
Victim Information

Jeremy Lind

Jeremy Lind, victim
Jeremy Lind

Jeremy Lind was 35 years old, living in Louisville, Kentucky. He was kidnapped alongside his girlfriend on September 27, 2020, and killed over the following days.

Jeremy's girlfriend, who was also kidnapped and assaulted during the same incident, survived and later escaped. She has not been publicly named in reporting on this case.

02
What We Know

A Kidnapping Over Stolen Property

In the early morning hours of September 27, 2020, a group of people kidnapped Jeremy Lind and his girlfriend at gunpoint and took them to a residence on Clara Avenue in Louisville. Investigators believe the motive stemmed from items stolen from a vehicle belonging to Samantha Johnson's boyfriend several days earlier, items Lind's girlfriend later told police the couple had taken and sold.

Once inside, Jeremy and his girlfriend were pistol-whipped and forced to strip naked, then forced to eat dog food. Jeremy was beaten with fists and a broomstick while his girlfriend was whipped. Jeremy lost consciousness during the assault, and his girlfriend was forced to clean up his blood. During the attack, Daniel Rosselot arrived at the residence; Johnson invited him inside, and he joined James Branham in beating Jeremy.

At some point during the torture, Jeremy's tongue was removed, wrapped in tin foil, and placed back into his mouth, causing him to choke. The group moved him to a shower in an attempt to wash the blood from his body. Johnson then ordered Rosselot and Branham to "take out the trash," referring to Jeremy. His hands and feet were bound with rope, a ligature cord was placed around his neck, and he was wrapped in a tarp and placed in a shed. According to his girlfriend's account, Jeremy was still alive at this point, and at one point called out for help; someone placed a bag over his head before she last saw him.

Jeremy's body remained in the shed for two to three days before it was dumped in an alley in the 3600 block of Lentz Avenue. Police discovered his body while responding to an unrelated call. Court documents state the beating he sustained was so severe it rearranged the structure of his mouth and left his face unrecognizable.

03
Case Timeline

From Kidnapping to Sentencing

September 27, 2020
Jeremy and His Girlfriend Kidnapped
+

Around 1 a.m., Jeremy and his girlfriend are kidnapped at gunpoint and taken to a residence on Clara Avenue, where the torture begins.

September 27–29, 2020
Jeremy Dies, Body Kept in a Shed
+

Jeremy dies from asphyxiation during the sustained assault. His body is bound, wrapped, and kept in a shed for two to three days before being moved.

Late September 2020
Body Discovered
+

Jeremy's body is dumped in an alley in the 3600 block of Lentz Avenue. Police responding to an unrelated call in the area discover his remains.

January 2021
Samantha Johnson and Robert Smothers Arrested
+

Samantha Johnson and Robert Lee Smothers, a childhood friend of Jeremy's, are arrested in connection with the case.

March 2021
Smothers Cleared, Branham Arrested
+

Prosecutors drop the charges against Robert Smothers, stating they no longer believe he committed the crime. Days before his release, James Branham is arrested; he admits to investigators he was paid to help kidnap and torture the two victims.

July 16, 2021
Daniel Rosselot Arrested
+

Daniel Rosselot is arrested and gives a recorded confession, admitting he hit Jeremy with a weapon several times and helped bind and wrap his body before it was dumped.

January 2023 to July 2023
All Three Sentenced
+

On January 26, 2023, Samantha Johnson and James Branham are sentenced in Jefferson Circuit Court, Johnson to 20 years and Branham to 16 years, after pleading guilty to murder and manslaughter respectively, along with kidnapping, assault, and abuse of a corpse charges. In July 2023, Daniel Rosselot is sentenced to 18 years after pleading guilty to complicity charges.

04
The Investigation

Building the Case Against Four Suspects

Louisville Metro Police built this case primarily on the account of Jeremy's girlfriend, who survived the attack and later escaped, and on statements the defendants themselves gave once in custody. Her testimony that a detective referenced in court, that the couple had stolen and sold items from a vehicle belonging to Samantha Johnson's boyfriend days before the kidnapping, established the motive investigators had initially struggled to identify.

The investigation initially led to the arrest of Robert Smothers, a childhood friend of Jeremy's, alongside Samantha Johnson in January 2021. In March 2021, prosecutors dropped the charges against Smothers after determining they no longer believed he had committed the crime, a correction made before trial rather than at it. Days later, James Branham was arrested after investigators connected him to the case; he admitted he had been paid to help kidnap and torture the two victims. Daniel Rosselot was identified and arrested months later, in July 2021, after which he gave a detailed recorded confession describing his role in the beating and disposal of Jeremy's body.

The garage at the residence where the kidnapping and torture occurred
The Clara Avenue Property
Additional view of the property where the kidnapping and torture occurred
The Clara Avenue Property
Police tape at the alley on Lentz Avenue where Jeremy Lind's body was found
Where Jeremy's Body Was Found, Lentz Avenue
05
The Accused

Samantha Johnson, James Branham & Daniel Rosselot

Samantha Johnson booking photo
Samantha Leigh Johnson
Age 32 at Arrest, Louisville, Kentucky
Role: Directed the kidnapping and torture; invited Daniel Rosselot to join and ordered Jeremy's body disposed of
Charges: Murder, two counts kidnapping, assault, tampering with physical evidence, abuse of a corpse, wanton endangerment
Plea: Guilty, murder and related charges
Sentence: 20 years, served concurrently, January 26, 2023
James Branham, 2018 booking photo
James Douglas Branham
Age 39 at Arrest, Louisville, Kentucky
Role: Admitted to being paid to help kidnap and torture the victims; participated in the beating and disposal of Jeremy's body
Charges: Murder (amended to manslaughter first degree), two counts kidnapping, assault, tampering with physical evidence, abuse of a corpse, wanton endangerment
Plea: Guilty, first-degree manslaughter and related charges
Sentence: 16 years, served concurrently, January 26, 2023
Daniel Rosselot, 2010 booking photo
Daniel E. Rosselot
Age 36 at Arrest, Louisville, Kentucky
Role: Arrived at the residence during the assault, was invited to join, and participated in the beating and disposal of Jeremy's body
Charges: Complicity to murder, two counts complicity to first-degree unlawful imprisonment, complicity to abuse of a corpse, complicity to tampering with physical evidence
Plea: Guilty, complicity charges
Sentence: 18 years, July 2023

Samantha Johnson, James Branham, and Daniel Rosselot were each convicted through guilty pleas for their roles in Jeremy's kidnapping, torture, and death, and were sentenced separately between January and July 2023. A fourth person, Robert Lee Smothers, a childhood friend of Jeremy's, was initially arrested alongside Johnson in January 2021, but prosecutors dropped the charges against him in March 2021 after determining they no longer believed he had committed the crime.

Things to Note

Context Around This Case

A Wrongful Arrest Corrected Before Trial +
Violence That Escalated Disproportionately +
A Survivor's Testimony Was Central to the Case +
In Memoriam

Jeremy Lind

Jeremy Lind was 35 years old when four people he had crossed paths with decided a stolen item was worth more than his life. What happened to him over those two days is almost impossible to hold in your mind at once, and that difficulty is part of why he deserves to be remembered as more than the way he died. He was someone's partner. He was a childhood friend to someone who was wrongly suspected in his death and later cleared, a reminder that even in the search for justice, the truth mattered enough to correct course. Jeremy is remembered here, and he is not forgotten.

Jeremy Lind, memorial photo
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