He was a severely disabled man, she was a university professor who instructed his household she may assist him talk. When Anna Stubblefield was sentenced to 2 12-year phrases for sexually assaulting Derrick Johnson, the case ignited a nationwide debate over energy dynamics, incapacity, and race.
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In Netflix‘s new true crime documentary, Inform Them You Love Me, director Nick August-Perna tells the story of a relationship between a married white professor and a non-verbal Black man with cerebral palsy. Neither of the “important characters” are interviewed, however Johnson’s household—together with his mom, Daisy—offers particulars on this chilling story, together with the place Anna and Derrick at the moment are.
The place is Derrick Johnson now?
Derrick lives along with his mom, Daisy, in Irvington, New Jersey, and spends time with the remainder of the household typically. He’s now not involved with Anna, for apparent causes.
It began in 2009, when Derrick and Anna met by means of his brother, John Johnson, who was a pupil of Stubblefield’s—she was a Rutgers College-Newark ethics professor on the time. Utilizing a technique referred to as facilitated communication (FC), Anna claimed she may assist Derrick talk. (Whereas well-liked within the 90s, the American Speech-Language-Listening to Affiliation has since denounced FC as “pseudoscientific” and “dangerous.”)
Nonetheless, Derrick quickly discovered to make use of a keyboard with an LED display to sort and, with Stubblefield’s help, started taking a college class. However their relationship grew to become one thing else over the course of a number of years.
In 2011, Anna shared some information with Derrick’s household. He was 35 years previous on the time. “We’ve got one thing to inform you,” they introduced, per the New York Occasions. “We’re in love.” This was an issue as a result of, as a scientific psychologist named Wayne Tillman noticed, Derrick’s “comprehension gave the impression to be fairly restricted,” and “his consideration span was very quick.” He additionally “lacks the cognitive capability to know and take part in selections.”
Derrick’s household referred to as the police as a result of he couldn’t have given consent to the love affair and, in 2015, Anna went on trial for 2 counts of first-diploma aggravated sexual assault—the identical cost that might apply to somebody who had inflicted extreme harm throughout a rape or participated in a violent gang rape. She was discovered responsible on each counts. Although she has since been launched, she has not seen Derrick since 2011.