Joe Rogan recently alleged that a former guest on his podcast was involved in a horrifying New York City murder, occurring just over a month after the guest’s appearance on the show.
This claim surfaced during Wednesday’s episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” where Rogan spoke with physician Zach Bush. During the discussion, Rogan referenced his 2024 interview with Sheldon Johnson, the accused murderer, while discussing the presence of sociopaths in society.
“We had a guy in the studio that cut a guy’s head off after the podcast. He killed a guy and cut his head off,” stated the UFC commentator.
The 58-year-old podcaster explained that Johnson was on the show with civil rights attorney Josh Dubin, who is the executive director of the Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice, advocating for the wrongfully convicted. Johnson sat directly across from Rogan just weeks before allegedly committing the brutal act.
“He does the podcast and then afterward goes and visits this guy that apparently he had a beef with, kills him, cuts his head off, puts him in a [suitcase], like puts a wig on, and tries to escape in the hallway through the cameras,” Rogan recounted.
At the time, Johnson was working as a criminal justice activist with Dubin when he was arrested in March 2024. Police discovered a human torso in a blue bin and a head in a freezer at a Bronx apartment belonging to 44-year-old Colin Small, according to the NYPD.
Authorities initially responded to the building for a wellness check after neighbors reported hearing gunshots and seeing a stranger entering and leaving the apartment with cleaning supplies, as stated by the building superintendent.
Surveillance footage allegedly showed Johnson exiting a sixth-floor elevator, checking his surroundings, and entering the apartment.
Later, he was seen leaving the apartment around 2 a.m., carrying a blue bin after being seen with a mop and a bag containing cleaning supplies.
Johnson allegedly returned to the crime scene wearing a blond wig and different attire.
When investigators focused on Johnson and searched his Harlem apartment, they found a human arm, legs, and a head with a gunshot wound in the freezer, according to CNN.
Johnson was charged with murder, manslaughter, criminal possession of a weapon, and concealment of a human corpse. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
During his appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Johnson was employed as a client advocate at the public defender’s office in Queens. He had been released from prison in 2019 after serving 25 years for a series of armed robberies in 1999.
Johnson, who claimed past involvement with the Bloods gang, was previously sentenced to up to 50 years for using a firearm to rob several individuals owing him drug money.
While incarcerated, the accused murderer said he aimed to “turn his life around” and earned his GED.
“I made the decision that I was going to walk away and I didn’t care about what the consequences was,” he told Rogan. “And I said to myself, ‘I’ve been doing bad for so long. I’m going to try to do something good.’”
In the interview, Johnson discussed his personal transformation and his efforts in criminal justice reform following his release from prison.
