Public meeting held on Johnia Berry murder case

Public meeting held on Johnia Berry murder case

January 19, 2007

By TIM MILLER
6 News Anchor/Reporter

KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- The unsolved murder of Johnia Berry was the focus of a community meeting in Knoxville Friday.

In their latest effort to keep Johnia's case in the public eye, the Berry family invited community members to the Cokesbury Center.

Johnia's mother, Joan Berry, said the investigation is at a standstill but hopes the public can help.

"I definitely think that there is someone out there that knows something that could help, if they could just find it in their heart to do so," said Berry.

More and more frustrated with the progress of the investigation, Joan Berry is trying a new forum, going up in front of local residents to get them more involved. More than 50 people came out to the meeting.   

Berry added, "I think the people of the community are just really interested in the case, wanting to know where it's at, what's going on, and I think they deserve to know that."

Joan and her son Kelly Burke, Johnia's brother, took questions from the crowd. There were also buttons, magnets, and reward posters for people to put up.   

Burke told 6 News, "Aside form the killer I think there's one or maybe two people who know what happened that night and they may or may not be willing to come forward at this time but we hope that as time goes on, we have the reward, obviously it's $70,000."

"I mean it happened to their daughter and we're just hoping it doesn't happen to anyone else here in Knoxville," said Maria Walker, an organizer of the event.

Joan Berry also told us she met with Knox County District Attorney General Randy Nichols Friday morning, but she said nothing new came out of that meeting.