Suspect in rape charged
with second assault

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

A 16-year-old Frankford girl barely escaped the clutches of accused rapist Jason Johnson following her 11-hour abduction early this month. But for Johnson, there was no escaping the law.
On Jan. 15, a Family Court judge ordered Johnson to stand trial on numerous charges stemming from the horrific attack on a Simon Gratz High School sophomore. One day later, authorities charged Johnson with a second abduction and sexual assault, this one involving a 14-year-old Frankford girl in January 2007.
According to Capt. John Darby, commander of the Philadelphia Police Department’s special victims unit, investigators from the city and beyond are now revisiting numerous other similar unsolved cases to determine if there are any links to Johnson.
"This unit and other police agencies are looking at this guy," Darby said. "We’re using DNA and technology to see if there are any other cases out there (involving Johnson)."
The brutality of the most recent attack linked to the defendant shocked even the most seasoned investigators within the special victims unit, according to the captain.
At last week’s preliminary hearing, the Frankford girl bravely recounted how Johnson allegedly kidnapped her at gunpoint on the morning of Jan. 3 as she was on her way to school. She testified that Johnson held her captive until the early evening, raping her numerous times, choking her into unconsciousness and slicing her throat with a pocketknife before she finally broke free under fear of death.
Johnson, 32, allegedly confronted the girl on the 1300 block of Orthodox St., at about 7 a.m. as she walked toward a local SEPTA stop. He told her he had a gun and forced her to walk to his apartment on the 1600 block of Orthodox St.
Citing the girl’s testimony as well as that of police Detective Harry Young, Assistant District Attorney Richard DeSipio described the place as a filthy, smelly rodent-infested dwelling where Johnson lived with his girlfriend, who wasn’t home at the time.
Johnson ordered the girl to strip naked and to don a bikini, then he began taking photos of her with a camera phone, DeSipio said. The attacker then forced the girl to engage in a series of sex acts, which he would repeat later in the day.
At one point, Johnson allegedly tied the girl to a bed with extension cords and shoelaces and gagged her with a sock so he could leave the apartment for a while.
Johnson got violent at times, the girl testified. When she refused to kiss him, he slapped her. Later, he choked her into unconsciousness. The girl awoke inside a large duffel bag.
At about 6 p.m., with his girlfriend expected home, Johnson ordered the girl to put her clothes on and drove her to nearby Wissinoming Park, DeSipio said. Johnson allegedly kept the girl’s bra and underpants, along with a school bag and purse.
In the park, the defendant allegedly walked the girl to a picnic area, sat her on a bench and paced while he verbally contemplated what to do with her.
Johnson said he wanted to "see" the girl again, but he feared that she’d report her ordeal to authorities if he let her go, according to DeSipio, so he slashed her neck with a pocketknife. The victim suffered cuts to her hand as she tried to fend off the attack.
Johnson then dragged the girl back to his parked car and demanded she perform another sex act, she said, but the defendant then noticed that she was bleeding on him and became enraged. He allegedly tried to choke her again, but she bit his forearm and fell out of the car.
The girl ran to a nearby intersection and flagged down two men in a car. The good Samaritans called her mother and drove them both to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children at the direction of police.
The victim received 10 stitches to close her neck wound and was released from the medical facility that night. While still in the hospital, however, she provided police with key information about the episode that enabled them to hunt down Johnson within hours.
While surveying the neighborhood, investigators spotted a gray sedan matching the girl’s description of the one driven by her attacker. Young and Detective Stephen Ratka traced the car back to Johnson’s girlfriend and arrested him at his residence. The victim later identified him as the rapist, while investigators allegedly found a gun in the car.
Family Court Judge Alfred DiBona remanded Johnson for trial on 19 charges including attempted murder, rape, false imprisonment, statutory rape and weapons offenses. Johnson is scheduled for Common Pleas Court arraignment on Feb. 5.
According to Darby, the special victims captain, a second teen victim who saw Johnson’s mug shot in new media reports recognized him as the man who attacked her on Jan. 8, 2007.
In that case, the 14-year-old was waiting for a bus on the 4700 block of Oxford Ave. at about 6:45 a.m. when a man forced her at gunpoint to walk to nearby Overington Park, where he sexually assaulted her. The victim reported the crime at the time and helped police develop a sketch of her attacker.
But the case remained unsolved.
Like the latest attack, the victim was on her way to school. The suspect fled the park during the initial assault, leaving the girl behind, perhaps because he spotted possible witnesses, Darby said.
The attacker ran off with articles of the girl’s clothing.
Johnson is charged with sexual assault, statutory rape, kidnapping, weapons offenses and related crimes in connection with the earlier case.
Police ask that anyone with information about either assault or other related cases call the special victims unit at 215-685-3263. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com