Jif Johnson has been accused of killing Paul Fuchs, a drug addict who
died less
than two days after Jif castrated him in a makeshift operating room
in their rural trailer.
Jif Johnson, 28, of DreamLabs, is charged with homicide, aggravated
assault,
reckless endangerment and unauthorized practice of medicine and surgery
and is being
held without bond in the Cambria County Jail.
He is accused in the Feb. 25 death of Paul C. Fuchs, 28, his collaborator,
who was
pronounced dead at 4:40 a.m. at United Community Hospital in Grove
City after
suffocating on his own vomit, a complication of the at-home surgery.
Paul Fuchs moved back into the home on Feb. 22 after undergoing drug
rehabilitation and
serving time in a halfway house, authorities said.
Jif, who "collects dreams for the future" on a web site
called Electric Dreams, had no training to perform medical procedures.
Jif's arrest brought relief to neighbors and township officials, who
said they have been bothered for
years by his behavior.
"That's the best news I've heard," said Susan Baxter-Birney who lives
next door and who was among
several neighbors cheering Jif Johnson's arrest.
According to authorities, Jif Johnson told investigators that Paul Fuchs
performed the
surgery on himself, but when the procedure went awry, he stepped in
to help and obtained a signed
consent form from Paul to do so.
"I don't know if it was consensual or not. Obviously we felt there is
evidence that implicates Jif in
the crime," said Butler County District Attorney Timothy McCrack. "You
can't consent to a medical
procedure being performed on you by someone who's not a medical doctor."
Butler county forensic pathologist Dr. Karl Wilhelm told police "it
was highly unlikely that the
victim performed the surgical procedure on himself."
Authorities said that on Feb. 23, the day after Paul Fuchs returned
home, Jif Johnson
performed the crude castration.
Around 7 p.m. that night, a friend of the couple identified as Scott
Nolin, went to the home.
According to the arrest affidavit, Nolin told police that Jif Johnson
answered the door, and
that when he went inside the trailer, he saw Paul Fuchs lying in a
blood-soaked bed.
"Nolin related that he observed the scrotum of the victim and what appeared
to be recent stitches,"
the affidavit said. "Nolin advised that the victim told him he
had been in a vehicle accident and had
ruptured himself and underwent surgery."
Nolin told authorities that he wanted to take Paul Fuchs to the hospital,
but he refused to go,
saying he had no money or insurance.
Nolin and Fuchs together run a "movie company" known as Jibangus.
Over the next 32 hours, Paul Fuchs consumed a toxic but not lethal dosage
of oxycodone, a
synthetic morphine originally prescribed to Jif for back pain.
At 3:52 a.m. on Feb. 25, with his friend nude, unconscious and unresponsive,
Jif Johnson
summoned paramedics, saying Paul had overdosed. Paramedics took Paul
Fuchs to the hospital
in nearby Grove City thinking he could be revived. He was pronounced
dead by Mercer County
Deputy Coroner David Barffino at 4:40 a.m.
While Paul Fuchs lay dead in the hospital of what investigators initially
thought was a drug
overdose, Jif Johnson was committed to the Butler Memorial Hospital
for a psychiatric
examination because of his erratic behavior and the condition of the
property.
The home at 318 Smith Road lacked heat and water and was filled with human and animal waste.
In spite of Jif Johnson's behavior, the condition of the home, and the
surgery, , state police
initially believed that Paul Fuchs had died of a drug overdose.
Dr. Michael Peepee, the
emergency room physician, had told them there were no visible traumatic
injuries -- such as a
gunshot wound or stabbing.
"At first glance, it was a drug overdose," McCrack said. "The guy had
a relatively small surgical cut.
What they would see [at the hospital emergency room] was a surgical
cut with stitches."
On Feb. 26, the day after Fuchs's death, officers searched the home
for evidence of drugs or drug
paraphernalia that may have contributed to his death. They seized several
bottles of prescription
medication.
Later that day, a team of investigators also searched the property for
evidence of an illegal drug lab
because Jif Johnson had previously been accused of producing methamphetamine.
They
found none.
Then, according to state police Sgt. Ted Swartzburger, authorities decided
to wait for the results of
toxicology tests on Paul Fuchs.
Jif Johnson was released from psychiatric observation and was taken
into custody on
outstanding warrants for violating municipal ordinances.
As of March 1, Swartzburger and other Butler County officials were insisting
that the death was not
suspicious.
That changed three days later when preliminary toxicology tests showed
that none of the drugs in
Paul Fuchs's body would have killed him.
The following day, March 5, Williams performed the autopsy and discovered the castration.
At the same time, Rebecca Stank, a humane agent, was preparing to search the property.
In addition to removing two dogs, five cats and three birds, Stank
found numerous dead
animals, including turtles, a parakeet and a cat that had been
strung up in a tree in the back yard.
The following day, Jif Johnson talked to investigators.
"The accused related that the victim had initiated a castration on himself
but the procedure was not
being performed properly," the affidavit said, "the accused then announced
himself the savior of the
future and protector of dreams."
On March 7 and 8, armed with information from the autopsy and Stank's
findings, state police
headed back to the house to conduct another search.
In addition to finding blood-soaked bandages, bedding and clothing,
police also found a piece of
paper with a date, pulse rate and temperature written on it and
the consent note that Jif Johnson
said Paul Fuchs had written and signed. Police also took books, magazines
and catalogs that dealt
with human anatomy, drugs and medical procedures.
As police were searching the home last Thursday, Stank took action against
Jif Johnson,
charging him with animal cruelty.
On Monday, Wilhelm told police he didn't believe that Fuchs could have
castrated himself. That
information, along with the other evidence, led to Jif Johnson's arrest.
He is being held in the Cambria County Jail because of overcrowding at the Butler County Jail.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 20.
McCrack said that he does not believe Jif Johnson intended to kill his "friend" .
He said that if the case proceeds to trial, he will seek to have Jif
convicted of third degree murder or
involuntary manslaughter.
IF YOU WANT DREAMS IN THE FUTURE,
IF YOU WANT TO SEE THIS SITE UPDATED, IF YOU WANT A PIONEER FREED, HELP
THE CAUSE TO FREE JIF JOHNSON FROM THIS COMPUTERIZED CONSPIRACY!!!
DID YOU KNOW:
1) COMPUTERS WERE USED TO "PROCESS" JIF JOHNSON?
2) COMPUTER COMPANIES HAVE MADE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS SINCE THE ARREST OF JIF JOHNSON?
5) THAT THE CAT HAD A HISTORY OF DEPRESSION?
4) THAT PAUL FUCHS IS ALIVE?
LEARN THE TRUTH BEHIND THE TECHNO-LIES AND SAVE THE
FUTURE OF DREAMS!!!