Investigators with the Sheriff 's Office ruled his death accidental , concluding that he climbed into the center of the gym mat to reach for a shoe and got stuck . The Fulton County , Georgia , Sheriff 's Office says it does not have an anonymous e - mail . The e - mail claimed that a former schoolmate confessed to killing Johnson , 17 . Johnson 's body was found in a warm - up mat in his high school gym more than a year ago . The death was ruled an accident , but an independent investigation called it a homicide .
The Fulton County , Georgia , Sheriff 's Office says it does not have an anonymous e - mail . The e - mail claimed that a former schoolmate confessed to killing Johnson , 17 . Johnson 's body was found in a warm - up mat in his high school gym more than a year ago . The death was ruled an accident , but an independent investigation called it a homicide .