Tonya Johnson’s family and friends on Monday protested a suicide ruling made by the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office, saying her death should have been deemed accidental.
Johnson, 43, a Canton firefighter and mother of three, died Feb. 22 while crossing state Route 8 during rush hour. Police reported she crossed the southbound lanes safely, climbed over the cement divider and was struck by a vehicle and killed in the northbound lanes.
Medical Examiner Dr. Lisa Kohler ruled Johnson’s death a suicide April 18 after two months of investigation.
But Johnson’s loved ones insisted at the protest outside Kohler’s office that Johnson had never expressed suicidal thoughts or tendencies.
“My mother was not the type of person who would take her own life, especially in such a way that affected so many people,” said Johnson’s youngest child, Temaria Johnson, 12. “My mom’s death deserves justice.”
The protesters said there was another explanation that Kohler had failed to consider: Johnson had sought a divorce from her husband of eight days, and they speculated Johnson had run across traffic to get away from him after a fight.
Attorneys David DuPlain and Danielle Pierce, who represent Johnson’s estate, told reporters Johnson had received dissolution papers — which would have ended the marriage if both parties signed — via email the morning of the fatal crash. DuPlain and Pierce said they suspect Johnson and her husband had been traveling south from Cleveland after having the papers notarized.
The attorneys said they planned to file a lawsuit in the coming weeks to get the ruling changed to reflect it as an accident rather than a suicide.
Her husband, Randey Johnson, of Cleveland does not have a publicly listed phone number and could not be reached for comment. In an interview with WOIO (Channel 19) days after his wife’s death, he said she suffered from severe depression that she kept from her family.
Her family and friends on Monday denied she was depressed or suicidal.
Daniel Greer, one of Johnson’s friends, said he had gotten breakfast with her the morning that she died.
“She was speaking of the future,” he said.
Most of the 30 or so protesters questioned whether a thorough investigation had been conducted by the medical examiner’s office.
The medical examiner’s final report on the death was not complete as of Monday.
In a news release on Monday, Kohler said her ruling was the result of a “lengthy” investigation, but she declined to comment further because of possible legal action from the family.
Johnson’s three children, all of whom spoke at the protest, described their mother as a loving, bubbly woman. They said she wasn’t the kind of woman who would kill herself.
Trevon Boone, Johnson’s oldest child, said he feels disrespected that very few people were contacted by the medical examiner before she made her ruling. He said Johnson had called her cousin to pick her up on the north side of the highway and was crossing traffic to wait for her.
“She was in fear for her life,” he said.
Dejon Newell, Johnson’s middle child, accused the medical examiner of making a mistake in her ruling.
“You’re supposed to be held accountable for your mistakes,” he said.
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ.