Deepra Sarkar
Each episode of ‘The Murder Tapes’ from the wide range o true-crime series aired by Investigation Discovery interprets homicide investigations by using real video footage of crimes. The series provides the audiences with an in-depth perspective of the crime by including bodycam footage from the primary crime scene, surveillance footage, and recordings of interrogations. Along with present-day interviews with individuals involved with the crime, the series produces an intricate portrait of the most dreadful cases.
In its fourth season, released in 2020, the series features the murder of Byron Lee Edwards. The intriguing case left us curious to find out the precise details. To this end, we followed up with a little investigation of our own. Here is what we discovered.
How Did Byron Edwards Die?
On November 22, 2017, Evansville Police Officers received suspicious circumstances call at 7:15 p.m. The caller identified themselves as a relative of Byron Edwards who was a resident of Evansville, Indiana. The caller claimed that they had not heard from Byron over a span of the last few days and were worried. The Police intercepted the call and responded to it immediately and met up with the relative before proceeding to Edwards’s home. The relative informed the police that they had been able to observe the apartment where they had seen blood in the bedroom.
When the police arrived at Edwards’s home, they found the occupant of the house on the 200 block of Read Street, Evansville, deceased. The officers also spotted blood in the bedroom. Following the preliminary investigation of the scene, the police released statements saying that they had immediately detected unnatural and possibly a suspicious circumstance of death due to the injuries sustained by the victim. On November 23, the identity of the victim was released. An autopsy conducted at 6 p.m., the same day, revealed that the Edwards died from multiple sharp force trauma. Adding to this, Vanderburgh County Coroner Steve Lockyear confirmed the police’s suspicions of homicide, ruling Edwards’s death to be the same.
The police officers who discovered Edward’s body were granted search warrants to further delve into the investigation. The investigation that ensued provided the police with substantial evidence to move forward with an arrest. On December 29, 2017, the police arrested Elijah Andrew Johnson, yet another Evansville resident, on accusations of the murder of Byron Edwards. Johnson, reportedly stabbed Edwards multiple times, which eventually led to his death.
Who Killed Byron Edwards?
Elijah Johnson, another resident of Evansville was preliminarily charged with the murder of Byron Edwards. The police discovered approximately 20 stab wounds on Byron Edwards which induced the sharp force trauma that was detected as the cause of death. The evidence stack garnered by the Police led them to Johnson who was interviewed on December 29, 2017. Johnson admittedly confessed to the stabbing, stating that he had stabbed Byron several times. At the time of interrogation, Johnson claimed that he had stabbed Edwards in self-defense. However, the evidence did not provide any support to his claim, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Johnson further confessed to cleaning the house after killing Edwards, including the things that he had touched to remove any possible trace of evidence. Additionally, Police informed that Johnson had worn gloves and disposed of potential evidence in a nearby dumpster. He was later convicted of the murder and subsequently sentenced to 26 years of imprisonment.
Read More: Where Is Elijah Andrew Johnson Now?
