The family of the Texas teenager who was brutally murdered and left for dead on a highway is asking for “anyone with information” to come forward at a new memorial.
Cody Johnson, 19, was found with multiple gunshot wounds along the service road on the Katy Freeway between Beltway 8 and Highway 99 on September 27.
First responders airlifted him to Memorial Hermann Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
As officials continue to investigate the murder, heartbroken parents Amy Juneau and Mike Johnson tearfully shared a tribute to their son at a CrimeStoppers press conference today.
Cody Johnson, 19, was found with multiple gunshot wounds along the service road on the Katy Freeway between Beltway 8 and Highway 99 on September 27.
‘My heart will never be the same without Cody. I just urge, I urge anyone who has any information to come forward and report to CrimeStoppers. “Nothing will bring Cody back, but if there is any justice that can come from this, please help us find justice for Cody,” Juneau said through tears.
Johnson added: “That morning, he said, ‘Dad, I’m so happy.’ Someone that happy shouldn’t be in a grave. We won’t stop, because his value to this world was enormous.”
During the conference, a CrimeStoppers spokesperson stated that the agency is offering a $30,000 reward for information leading to the indictment and/or arrest of his killer.
The devastated father also said his teenage son had recently recovered from a serious motorcycle accident that left him injured in June.
He was set to start a new job as a car salesman in the coming weeks, the parents further revealed.
‘My heart will never be the same without Cody. I just urge, I urge anyone who has any information to come forward and report to Crime Stoppers. Nothing will bring Cody back, but if there is any justice that can come from this, please help us find justice for Cody,” mother Amy Juneau said through tears.
Father Mike Johnson added: ‘That morning, he said, ‘Dad, I’m so happy.’ Someone that happy shouldn’t be in a grave. We won’t stop, because his value to this world was so much.’
The teen loved cars since he was a little boy, so “he was following his dreams,” Mike previously told KHOU 11 as the suspect or suspects remain at large.
“Everything seemed to fall into place and finally go on the right path.
“Even if he or someone interrupted him, there’s no reason for him to be dead because of that,” he continued.
“The value in people’s lives is more than a car or a frustration.”
Both parents added that the black 2013 Chevy Camaro had been their son’s most prized possession, which was found at the scene with its flashing lights on.
During the conference, a CrimeStoppers spokesperson stated that the agency is offering a $30,000 reward for information leading to the indictment and/or arrest of his killer.
As of October 4, no motive has been determined and the shooter’s identity is unknown.
However, it is believed that the car may have been rolling for some time before coming to a complete stop. Here you see the police officers gathered around the 2013 muscle car.
‘No one values life,’ his father said in another emotional interview with ABC 13.
“We just want answers,” Juneau added. “We want him back more than anything, but if we could just have some kind of closure about what happened.”
Relatives said he had left his mother’s home in Missouri City, about 20 miles south of Houston, around 7 p.m. on the day of his death.
Intending to pick up his girlfriend from her job in Katy, Johnson never made it, his parents said, pointing to data from an app that showed his Camaro slowing to a stop on the Katy Freeway around 8:04 p.m.
However, it is believed that the car may have been rolling for some time before coming to a stop, where it was later discovered.
Within minutes, he was found along the I-10 frontage road, his car and body riddled with bullets, leading the local sheriff to surmise that the incident was due to road rage.
Both parents added that the black 2013 Chevy Camaro had been their son’s most prized possession, which was found at the scene with its flashing lights on.
The victim was found along the I-10 frontage road riddled with bullets, prompting the local sheriff to say the incident was likely due to road rage.
However, authorities are still trying to piece together what happened and have not yet identified a suspect.
As of October 4, no motive has been determined and the shooter’s identity is unknown.
Houston, just a few miles from the crime scene, received the dubious distinction of being the city with the most highway shootings over the past decade, with a total of 215 incidents since 2014.
Tied for second place were cities like San Antonio and Memphis, which only had 107 incidents each.
The trend has continued this year, with a 21-year-old man killed last month after exchanging gunfire with another motorist on I-10.
The other driver fled before returning to the scene and is said to be cooperating with investigators.
The case was assigned and turned over to the district attorney for statements and an investigation to determine whether charges will be filed, police officers in that case said.