Woman Cleared in Shooting of Staten Island Commune Leader
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
A woman has been cleared of all charges in the shooting of the founder of a Staten Island commune.
Rebekah Johnson was charged with attempted murder for allegedly firing six shots during her encounter with Jeff Gross as he begged for his life.
Ms. Johnson’s attorney argued that she was the real victim. He says Ms. Johnson joined the commune as a young woman, and was then manipulated and mentally damaged by its leaders over two decades.
Ms. Johnson was a fugitive for a year after the shooting. Her case was featured five times on “America’s Most Wanted.”