The son of a former NFL lineman, who was murdered at a homeless encampment in South Los Angeles last month, has pleaded for any information that could help find his father’s killer.
Branden Johnson, the son of Kevin Johnson, told NBC Los Angeles Wednesday that his father had lived on the streets periodically although he could have stayed with family and relatives.
The elder Johnson was found dead in the Willowbrook neighborhood of South Los Angeles last month.. Authorities also confirmed Johnson had been living in a homeless encampment at the time of his death.
The LA County medical examiner later ruled Johnson’s death a homicide, saying the former NFL player suffered “blunt head trauma and stab wounds.”
The son, who called his father his “best friend,” said he received a call from a family member last month about a possible incident involving the elder Johnson.
“Nobody wants to get that call that your father is murdered,” Branden Johnson said, adding that he had to identify his father to authorities at the scene.
What was more shocking, the son said, was his father’s death may be connected to three other homeless murders in the same area.
“It’s devastating just to know that there’s somebody out here doing this to these people,” he said.
The LA County Sheriff’s Department said the four murders, including that of Kevin Johnson, may be connected as they all happened in the same area during a three-month time frame between October 2025 and January 2026.
The younger Johnson said although he was too young to see his father play professionally, his father’s injuries forced him to stop playing football.
The father-son duo spoke everyday, according to the son, although Kevin Johnson did not show signs of distress or struggle.
“My dad wasn’t the type of person to let anybody know how he was really doing,” Johnson explained. “He just would make it seem like everything was OK.”
Although the 55-year-old’s life ended tragically, his son said his father was more than a man living in a homeless encampment.
“He was a loving man. He was a family man. He was a father, a friend, and all of the above,” he described. “He loved everyone around him and would give his shirt off his back just to make sure everybody else around him was OK.”
The son asked anyone with information to come forward and work with investigators to find the killer.
“I’ll miss him every day until I go,” he said.
After he was drafted in the fourth round by New England in 1993, Kevin Johnson went on to play for the Patriots, Vikings, Raiders and Eagles. Johnson finished with 43 tackles, including seven sacks, and returned a fumble for a touchdown in two years with the Eagles.
He played 15 games for Oakland in 1997.
Johnson later played in the Arena Football League for Orlando and Los Angeles. The Los Angeles native played collegiately at Texas Southern.
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