Australian coroner says student died of hate crime -- not suicide -- in 1988

Nov. 30 (UPI) -- A 27-year-old American mathematician visiting Australia was the victim of a gay hate crime nearly 30 years ago, a coroner ruled Thursday.

After three inquests, New South Wales State Coroner Michael Barnes said Scott Johnson's fatal 200-foot fall from Sydney's North Head on Dec. 8, 1988, was the result of a hate crime.

"I am persuaded to the requisite standard that Scott died as a result of a gay hate attack," he said in releasing his findings.

The area where Johnson's nude body was found, Bluefish Point, was a popular spot with gay persons.

"I am of the view it is very unlikely Scott took his own life," the coroner said.

Johnson, originally from Los Angeles and a Ph.D. candidate in mathematics at the Australian National University, received what the coroner called "unsurvivable traumatic injuries."

The coroner said more than one person was likely responsible for the attack, and that Johnson was pushed off the cliff, or fell while trying to escape. He added that Johnson's clothes were found folded and undamaged near the cliff's edge, meaning he may have removed the clothes before the encounter.

A first inquest in 1989 ruled Johnson's death a suicide. After a 2005 review of the deaths of three young men in the 1980s found they fell from sea cliffs as victims of systematic gay hate murders, another inquest was ordered in Johnson's case.

The coroner issued no findings in 2012 but recommended police reinvestigate the case. Barnes said police "regrettably" jumped to conclusions initially without examining all the facts.

"There are over 500 suspicious deaths that are awaiting investigation, none of which have received the same scrutiny this case has," Barnes said.

"The inquest produced many leads that should still be pursued."

Steve Johnson, the victim's brother, said: "The killers probably still live among us.

"Now it's time for a homicide investigation ... and there's lots to go on."

The NWS State Police has offered a $75,000 reward for information in Johnson's case.

"With a lack of witnesses and physical evidence, this is a very challenging case," Acting Superintendent Chris Olen said on a website devoted to Johnson's death. "What we need is fresh information to help us solve this case and bring some closure to the Johnson family."