Rebecca Johnson made the announcement in a news release sent to The Associated Press. Dan Johnson killed himself Wednesday night. David Adams, a political operative who worked for Dan Johnson, confirmed Rebecca Johnson's intentions.
In the release, Rebecca Johnson referred to her husband's death as a "high-tech lynching based on lies and half-truths."
Speaking to the Today Show on NBC, Rebecca Johnson called out the journalist who published the story, saying, "I am confident if that little greasy reporter had not done what he did, my husband would be alive right now."
The Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting published a story earlier this week detailing accusations that Johnson sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl in 2013. Police had investigated the matter but did not file charges. The story prompted police to re-open the investigation.
Dan Johnson had called the accusations "totally false." The next day he took his own life.
KyCIR is part of Louisville Public Media, and its President, Michael Skoler expressed condolences for Johnson’s friends and family after his death.
“All of us at Louisville Public Media are deeply sad to hear that State Representative Dan Johnson has died, apparently of suicide. We grieve for his family, friends, church community and constituents. Our Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting released a report on Johnson this week. Our aim, as always, is to provide the public with fact-based, unbiased reporting and hold public officials accountable for their actions. As part of our process, we reached out to Representative Johnson numerous times over the course of a seven-month investigation. He declined requests to talk about our findings.”
