Missing evidence in James Brown’s death case has been found, leading lawyers to ask the FBI to intervene. Brown, commonly known as “The Godfather of Soul,” died nearly two decades ago;
The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office in Atlanta has reportedly located potential evidence turned over to them in 2020 by Jacque Hollander, an associate of the late singer. The contents of a green plastic bin, including a black stiletto shoe and a handwritten note, were said
to hold proof that Brown’s cause of death was murder. Now that they’ve been found, Hollander’s attorney, Michael Iasparro, requests that the FBI further investigate the ominous happenings surrounding the case.“What happened to James Brown is, he was murdered for money,” Hollander has said about the funk pioneer’s death.
It was this belief that led her to submit the aforementioned green bin to the office of then-District Attorney Paul Howard in 2020, according to ESSENCE. Howard promised
that a team of investigators would be tasked with interviewing six potential witnesses—who were named by Hollander—and make a later decision on how to proceed at a later date. However, Howard’s successor, Fani Willis, would decide to close any further inquiry into the case the very next year, the outlet reports.When Hollander put in a request to have all evidence returned to her possession, a response was given from the district attorney’s office that was followed by insufficient action. “We have shipped the items requested,” Assistant Chief of Evidence William Chris Clark allegedly responded.
However, Hollander claims that instead of her original items, she was sent a cardboard box filled with newspaper clippings and two cell phones she did not recognize.
Early this year, after suing the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, Hollander’s evidence was returned, seemingly untouched. “You can tell that no one ever, ever even looked at this evidence,” she said. Still, questions remain
about the DA office’s conduct regarding the items as well as the circumstances surrounding Brown’s death, which the FBI contends they are not at liberty to answer. “Department of Justice policy prevents the FBI from commenting on the existence, non-existence, or nature of any investigation that may be occurring,” said Special Agent and Public Affairs Officer Siobhan Johnson.The “Superbad” singer died on Christmas Day 2006 after suffering from a heart attack and having fluid in his lungs.