MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF: Joseph “Jo-Jo” King III

20:46Brit Prawat:That is where Brandon is going before a judge. And he's not going before a judge for murder charges. This isn't a trial. This is a hearing. to determine whether he violated his probation. What? He was still on probation for the 2019 belt incident when JoJo died in 2020. So basically, prosecutors believe that when this happened... In February of 2020, that that violated the probation from that incident.

21:13Ashley Flowers:But this is 2023. It took them three years to get to court on this?

21:17Brit Prawat:I don't know why it took so long. Detectives and the DA's office didn't talk to us for this episode. But remember, I mean, it did take a different detective digging into this case to even get some of these answers. So I assume that took some time to get sorted. Then Joseph thinks maybe because the manner of death was undetermined. I don't know, like at some point, like they probably just figured that a probation violation would be much easier to get this guy on. Like, OK, like let's all try to put him away for some time for something. But the easy thing is not always the right thing. And being in law enforcement himself, Joseph says that he is certainly surprised that they didn't go for more by the time 2023 rolls around.

22:01Brit Prawat:Because once he hears what it is that they presented under oath, he is even more sure that his son did not die in the way that Brandon claimed. You guys, we are finally rolling into summer. And I am ditching the sweaters, packing away the coats. But I am still wearing quince because quince is quality I wear all year round in the field, on stage, at the office. Quince, quince, quince. Their clothing and accessories are timeless and long lasting because they focus on high quality, beautiful everyday essentials like 100 % European linen pants, dresses and tops with style starting at 32 bucks. And you guys, everything at quince is priced 50 to 80 % less than similar brands.

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26:20Brit Prawat:And Brandon's own statement that he did. Now, Brandon ends up testifying that he did give breaths and compressions with one hand. But then later, he reportedly stated that he felt JoJo was already dead and didn't really see the point. So again, statements don't quite line up. But then comes the new stuff. And it all mainly focuses on the weirdest and most glaringly strange part of this case. The fact that JoJo and some parts of this scene were wet. Now, the initial responding deputy takes the stand and we finally get details about what he witnessed. In the bathroom, he saw that the toys in the bathtub were wet and there is a towel at the base of the toilet that is wet too.

27:08Brit Prawat:Now, based on the floor plan of this place, it looks like the toilet is right up next to the tub. And while there's no way to tell how the things in the bath got wet, what he does notice is that the toilet bowl itself, like the water in it, it appears like it's half full, as if an object had been placed into it. That's the language that he uses. An object like the toys? I don't know if they were ever in the toilet, but I think it would have taken something larger to displace half the water in the toilet. And I don't think it takes Sherlock to see what he's trying to suggest here based on how he describes Jojo.

27:48Brit Prawat:Now remember, he says that Jojo is wet from the nose down to his hips. The wetness isn't around his whole body. Apparently it is just this strip down the front of him. Is he saying that Jojo was somehow like dunked in the toilet or? No, he is just saying what he saw. The toilet water is displaced and he is wet down the front of him. Now, Brandon's wife, Jojo's mom, Jessica, testifies that if the towel and the tub toys were like wet, it might have been from a bath the night before. But Joseph usually bathed between 6 and 8 p.m. This was nearly 24 hours later.

28:31Ashley Flowers:Okay, we haven't really talked about Jessica that much. Where does she stand in all of this? Like, is she siding with Brandon?

28:38Brit Prawat:Well, in a DFPS document that we have, it states that Jessica and Brandon got an attorney and refused to cooperate with DFPS or law enforcement following JoJo's death. Or at least, like, at the time that this document was prepared. And honestly, from what we can tell, yeah, she seems to still be with Brandon and supporting him. Her belief appears to be that this was all a very terrible, tragic accident. And Jessica faces no charges related to her son or his death. Now, we tried to reach out to her for this episode, but she declined to participate. And in fact, she made it clear that she didn't want this story to be told at all.

29:15Brit Prawat:Interesting.

29:17Ashley Flowers:So, say the bath and the toys and the towel were all still wet from the night before when he took his bath, and not something that happened in the bathroom on the 23rd. Is it possible that the wet strip down the front of his body was from Jojo peeing himself? Like, if he was kind of upside down in the chest or something, it might have, like, run up his body, like, while he was upside down?

29:40Brit Prawat:So I see what you're saying, but I can actually tell you for sure that's not what happened. I mean, A, then we would be going back to saying that the toy chest, like, is sealed and suffocated him, which we now know that's not airtight. But B, at the hearing, we get this strange detail that comes out. there was no documented moisture or smell of urine inside the actual toy chest. And when they later tested the Batman stuffed toy that was in there, it did not show residual traces of urine either. Ashley, was he ever in the toy chest at all? This is the question, Britt. I don't see any proof of that.

30:20Brit Prawat:I mean, we have urine present. It sounds like we also have some water present. But not in the toy chest. None of this is in the chest, which is the crux of Brandon's whole story. And let me tell you one more thing that for me, like this thing is what really painted a picture. When the responding deputy testified on the witness stand about the bed, he said that when he pulled the covers back, he found that it was wet in the middle about where Jojo's bottom would have been if he was laying on the bed. Just that area. Yes, from what I can tell, that's what he's saying. Now, the thing I don't know for sure is if that wetness was water or urine and if that wetness happened before or after the toilet bowl losing water.

31:11Brit Prawat:Right. Like, did Jojo have an accident and then whatever happened after that was prompted by that accident?

31:20Ashley Flowers:Or did something happen in the bathroom and then he was put or went to bed?

31:26Brit Prawat:I thought, but the front of him is what is wet. As if his, in my mind, as if his face were pushed into the bowl of water. And then the water ran down the front of him when he was pulled out.

31:37Ashley Flowers:The thing I don't get, though, is if he had drowned, wouldn't that be in the Emmys report? Like, that's pretty cut and dry. I know there was like a quote unquote concern for homicidal drowning, but drowning is cut and dry.

31:55Brit Prawat:Like, was there water in his lungs or was there not? It's cut and dry when someone immediately dies from drowning. This one is complicated because of the fact that Jojo didn't die right away. Because he was in the hospital for so long. In the hospital for days. During this hearing, the medical examiner testifies that there was water present in Joseph's airways. But that doesn't necessarily mean drowning because Joseph had been on a ventilator for several days before he died. And the ME testified that fluid in the airways can be consistent with prolonged ventilator use. So according to this ME, there is just no way to narrow down the list by testing for drowning in cases like this.

32:35Brit Prawat:Which means the autopsy can say asphyxia, meaning he couldn't get oxygen. It can say that there is a concern for something, but it can't say how the oxygen deprivation happened. Now, the state's argument is that if the toy chest theory doesn't work and drowning can't be ruled out and there is no trauma, then the only explanation left is that someone caused the asphyxiation and the only someone in that house was Brandon. But the defense argues that it was an accident inside the toy chest. How are we still talking about this toy chest? Like, it feels irrelevant at this point. I guess because the ruling is undetermined.

33:20Brit Prawat:And maybe, maybe because this idea about a kid dying by being locked in a toy chest didn't just come out of thin air for this case. I mean, I did a quick Google search, and there are stories of children, mostly younger than JoJo, getting stuck in toy chests. And I think it's a lot of these like old chests that are often passed down like family heirlooms. And they obviously don't pass like modern safety checks or anything like that.

33:44Ashley Flowers:I have a chest like this in my room that has like blankets in it. Like it shuts, it locks. If you were inside, you couldn't get out. I can see it.

33:51Brit Prawat:But like that's not what JoJo was in. Well, that's what I'm saying. It's important to know that at this hearing, they established that the cedar chest in JoJo's room was not even originally designed as a toy chest. It's kind of like what you're saying you have. It was like this vintage Lane Cedar Hope chest thing manufactured decades ago, like 1956. And to be fair, like over the years, certain Lane Cedar chests with like automatically locking lids had been subject to recalls. Children had gotten trapped inside them. Sadly, some had even suffocated. So historically, this is not unheard of. And at first glance, sure, like if similar chests had trapped children before, it makes the story feel plausible.

34:31Brit Prawat:But there is the nuance that like comes out in court. Testimony clarified that this specific chest, the one that they're saying Jojo might have gotten trapped in, it was not confirmed to be part of any recall. So it's not like investigators found a recall sticker or a defect notice like tied to this exact chest. And remember, even if Jojo had been locked inside the chest. I was just about to bring up like the chest is not. It's a hard point. It's not airtight. Like air passes through. So exactly. It is irrelevant to me if other kids died in similar chests. A kid could not die in this chest. There was no gasket or seal that would make it airtight.

35:11Brit Prawat:And that is where the state lands. They're not arguing that toy chest accidents have never happened. Right. They're arguing that this specific one does not explain the scene that they're presented with. Because if the chest isn't airtight, if the mannequin barely fits in it, If there is moisture elsewhere and not in the chest, then the explanation changes. After days of testimony, after the timelines dissected, the CPR thing, the wetness, the toy chest testing, and amended autopsy are all laid out in that courtroom, it's time for the judge to rule. And remember, this is not a murder trial.

35:51Ashley Flowers:I was just like having to like pull myself back to be like, what is even the verdict here? because it's just a probation hearing.

35:57Brit Prawat:This is the judge. Yeah, isn't being asked to determine exactly how JoJo died. He is being asked one thing. Did Brandon Hale violate the terms of his probation from the 2019 injury to a child case by committing a new offense in February of 2020? That's it. And if he did, then his probation is revoked. In December of 2023, the judge makes his decision and he finds that Brandon did violate the terms of his probation. His deferred adjudication from the 2019 belt incident is revoked and he's formally found guilty in that original injury to a child case. So he gets sentenced to 10 years in prison, not for murder, but for the 2019 abuse.

36:47Brit Prawat:And that is the only conviction connected to JoJo's case.

36:52Ashley Flowers:he had to die for someone to help him and then they didn't even hold anyone accountable for his actual death.

37:01Brit Prawat:Listen, our team reached out to both Brandon in prison and his attorney for comment. But as of this recording, we have not gotten a response. And we also contacted the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office for clarity about whether additional charges would ever be pursued. They did not give us an answer. But we had our legal team look into this, and they confirmed that the DA could bring new charges against Brandon Hale any time they see fit. It wouldn't even necessarily require new evidence. DFPS did provide us with public records, but they didn't answer our specific questions about why JoJo's original case went the way it did.

37:46Brit Prawat:I want to know why he was allowed back in that home. How did a six-year-old boy die from lack of oxygen inside his own home while he was alone with the man who admitted to beating him with a belt? And how did this happen less than a year after the system had already substantiated abuse? There's been a resounding word throughout this entire episode. Undetermined. Undetermined cause, undetermined manner, undetermined answers. There is one thing that was never undetermined. JoJo mattered. He mattered to his dad, his real-life superhero, who he wanted to be like when he grew up. And he mattered to the little girl who got to live more life and spend precious final moments with her family because of his organ donation.

38:36Brit Prawat:And he mattered to the people who saw him every day at school, to the janitor who came to visit him while he was in the hospital because he said that Jojo never just walked by him like the other kids. He always stopped and gave him a hug. He made him feel special. And that's who Jojo was. For dad, Joseph, this was never just about a probation violation. It was about protection. Now, instead of letting his grief swallow him into silence, it propels him forward. He tells Jojo's story publicly any chance he can get, not because it's easy, but because it's necessary. He speaks to other law enforcement officers about what went wrong, about what might have been done differently, how to keep this from happening to another child, another family.

39:26He fights for accountability because he knows what it feels like to beg for help and to not be heard.

39:35Ashley Flowers:I got on FaceTime with my family and let all my family say goodbye to him in the hospital room. And then when I hung up, I walked over to him and I leaned over and I whispered in his ear. I said, don't worry. Daddy got you. He gonna find out what happened.

39:54Brit Prawat:If you're hearing JoJo's story and you are feeling strongly that you need to do something, you can call the Tarrant County, Texas District Attorney's Office at 817-884-1400. Tell them that you want them to take another look at this case. Tell them that you want justice for Joseph Jojo King III.

40:39Brit Prawat:And stick around, because we've got the good segment coming.

41:04Ashley Flowers:Okay, do you remember last month's good segment, the Nina effect? Yes. So after that, I had to kind of, I saw this one and I had to do it. It's like the audio check effect, I think. I think you're really going to like this one. Hi, Ashley and Britt. I'm writing today in regards to an episode I was just listening to and its ties to an organization I work with who is doing some amazing work in Wisconsin. I'm hoping to raise more awareness about what we do in Wisconsin, as well as what similar organizations do nationwide to improve public safety, changing the approach to working with people with substance use disorders and the criminal justice system, and changing public perception of what we are and what we do.

41:43Ashley Flowers:I was just listening to the January 24th, 2022 episode of Crime Junkie titled Survived, Crystal Kaiser and Cyntoia Brown. Not only does the case of Crystal Kaiser happen in the state of Wisconsin, where I'm from, you also discussed why treatment courts couldn't be used as an alternative for Cyntoia Brown in her case. For the last seven years, I have worked as a case manager for an OWI-DUI treatment court in Wisconsin and have been involved with the Wisconsin Association of Treatment Court Professionals Board of Directors for the last four years. I've been able to see firsthand the amazing work that goes into establishing, maintaining, and working treatment courts, as well as the incredible work that participants put into these programs in changing their lives.

42:22Ashley Flowers:Those that participate in Wisconsin treatment courts have reduced overdoses by 83 percent, and four out of five remain out of the justice system post-graduation. We have a variety of treatment courts from OWI to drug courts, veteran courts, tribal healing to wellness courts, family reunification courts, hybrid courts, and mental health courts. We are currently celebrating 30 years since the first treatment court was established in Dane County, and we have grown to over 100 courts in 65 of 72 counties. The fact that you even brought up treatment courts in your podcast truly excited me from the minute I heard the words.

42:57Ashley Flowers:Treatment courts are changing lives and changing communities. And while some people have the perception that these courts are a get-out-of-prison-free card, they are far from it. These programs are intensive and include high-level monitoring, including probation, case management, electronic monitoring, drug testing, court monitoring, intensive outpatient treatment, support meetings. By far, treatment court is the harder choice. Prison is the easier choice. However, treatment court is the more rewarding one if the participant truly commits the process. Treatment court teams are collaborative systems of team members, including judges, prosecutors, defense counsel, law enforcement, treatment providers, probation, case managers, and coordinators, and sometimes peer support and prior program graduates.

43:38Ashley Flowers:These are sometimes people who are typically across the table from each other, who are now working together to walk alongside participants in a life of recovery. Recently, we have initiated a graduate scholarship fund in 2025, which provides$500 scholarships to graduates from the Wisconsin treatment courts who are looking to pursue higher education or specialized training. AudioChuck and Crime Junkie has been a repeated donor to our silent auction that directly funds the scholarship fund. And AudioChuck recently made a donation to our general fund, courtesy of AudioChuck's philanthropy director.

44:08Ashley Flowers:This support has been incredibly meaningful to W.A.T.C.P. and myself truly as a big fan of Crime Junkie and Full Body Chills. Wisconsin isn't the only state who is looking at the justice system and substance use differently. There are quite a few states within the U.S. who have treatment and or problem-solving courts. All Rise, at allrise.org, is the national organization and hub for treatment courts across the nation and the biggest resource for best practices, standards, training, and news on treatment courts. I would love to appeal to you to increase the conversation on treatment courts and using treatment courts as an alternative to incarceration for those with substance use disorders and are involved in the criminal justice system.

44:45Ashley Flowers:The more people know and the more people understand, the more support we can get for what we're doing. You have such a huge platform and a huge following, and I appreciate the level of investigation you do into any topic you discuss. With much gratitude and appreciation for what you ladies do, Amanda Parlow, President, Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Association of Treatment Court Professionals. Oh, a little like education. There you go. And I love it. Like, I love hearing from people who are in the trenches of these things that we talk about. Hearing how much just talking about these systems that I didn't know much about treatment courts.

45:18Ashley Flowers:and I'm like in recovery. And just learning more about the system that she's working in and how effective it is. I mean, 83 % reduction in overdoses is an incredible number. And I just love this one.

45:34Brit Prawat:I also love that it comes from an episode we did years ago. I mean, like, obviously not our support. We've been working with them for so long.

45:41Ashley Flowers:An episode that we did before I was in recovery. Oh, very true. Yeah. And so like hearing this now, that's something that like, while I was still struggling, this was effective and happening and changing lives before I even knew my life needed to change. It's really, really powerful.

45:57Brit Prawat:Hopefully Crime Junkies learned a little something.

46:02Brit Prawat:Crime Junkie is an Audio Chuck production. I think Chuck would approve.

46:10Ashley Flowers:Okay, Crime Junkies, you know I absolutely love a twist and a turn, especially when it comes to people who turn out to be someone they're not. That's why I have been obsessed with the podcast Chameleon. Every Thursday, host Josh Dean deep dives into a scam so bizarre it will leave you wondering, how did they get away with that? It is truly one of my favorite podcasts right now and I've been listening for years. I think you'll love it too. Listen to Chameleon wherever you get your podcasts.