A notable Texas judge has disappeared from the courtroom, leaving local towns folk to circulate rumors about her whereabouts. Harris County Judge Kelli Johnson had been reported missing from the stand since May 1st. However, the famous Judge’s brother revealed the reason for his sister’s judicial absence following a “horrific” murder case Judge Johnson had recently overseen.
In recent days, Judge Kelli Johnson had overseen some of Texa’s largest trials, one of which had involved the conviction of 34-year-old Brian Colter, who was found guilty of beating his girlfriend’s 8-year-old child to death in 2020. During her sentencing, Judge Johnson stated that Colter’s case was one of the most “horrific” cases she had ever witnessed. Colter’s trial concluded in late April this year and seemingly disturbed the judge following her recent absence the following month.
Rumors around Harris County began to spread as Judge Johnson had been reported missing from the stand of the 178th District Courthouse since the beginning of May. Rumors of Judge Johnson suffering mental health issues began to emerge as one courthouse employee stated that the Judge showed signs of manic behavior, to local news radio station KTRK. More speculation was aroused after a Houston police report that the radio station obtained stated that Johnson was involved in a “disturbance” incident close to home on May 4th, 2024. These stories combined led to local townsfolk believing something deeper was going on within Judge Johnson.
However, Judge Johnson’s brother, Clay Johnson, quickly stepped in to dismiss the alleged rumors about his sister. Clay Johnson spoke to the media outlet The Daily Beast to denounce the claims that his sister was facing a mental crisis. Clay Johnson reported to the outlet that Judge Kelli Johnson was not missing at all, and is currently on a medical leave for work. Clay further confirmed that his sister was in contact with the rest of their family and everything was “fine”.