LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Two people have pleaded guilty to the horrific slaying of a Louisville man who was kidnapped, beaten and tortured to death in 2020.
James Branham and Samantha Johnson on Wednesday were sentenced in Jefferson Circuit Court for killing 35-year-old Jeremy Lind, who died by asphyxiation after his tongue was removed, wrapped in tin foil and shoved down his throat.
The two were accused of kidnapping Lind and a woman on Sept. 27, 2020, forcing them to strip naked, eat dog food and brutally beating them.
Johnson pleaded guilty to murder, kidnapping, assault and abuse of a corpse, among other charges. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Branham pleaded guilty to manslaughter, kidnapping, assault and abuse of a corpse, among other charges. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Lind's body was found in a rear alley in the 3600 block of Lentz Avenue, near Carlisle Avenue, in Louisville's Jacobs neighborhood.
Police say the crime began when Lind and a female victim were kidnapped about 1 a.m. and forced, at gunpoint, to a home on Clara Avenue, near Taylor Boulevard.
At that point, Lind and the female victim were forced to strip out of their clothing, eat dog food, and were beaten and tortured, according to court documents.
Lind's hands and feet were tied behind his back, and a ligature cord was placed around his neck. At one point, his tongue was removed.
The unnamed female victim was forced to watch Lind being tortured and clean up his blood, according to court records.
Lind died when a foil ball was placed in his mouth that contained his own tongue, and he choked to death.
The female victim managed to escape, according to court documents.
Lind's body was kept in a shed for two or three days after he died before it was dumped in the alley.
"The beating sustained to the male victim was so extreme that it rearranged his mouth structure," court documents state.
This story will be updated.
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