Parole denied to Jerry High, who was convicted in 1993 murder of Topeka teenager
Parole has been denied to Jerry D. High, 49, one of three people serving prison time for the 1993 Topeka killing of 16-year-old Amanda "Mandy" Gardner.
High, an inmate at El Dorado Correctional Facility, has been passed for parole consideration for three years and will next be eligible Dec. 1, 2026, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections website.
Relatives and friends of Gardner had asked the Kansas Prisoner Review Board to deny parole to High and two other people serving prison time for her murder.
The board last year denied parole and decided not to consider it again for two years for Donise Johnson, 51, an inmate at Topeka Correctional Facility.
Board members last year also denied parole and decided not to consider it again for three years for Joe Johnson, 50, an inmate at Hutchinson Correctional Facility.
How was Amanda Gardner killed?
Amanda Gardner attended Highland Park High School and worked at the McDonald's restaurant at Walmart's Hypermart USA on S.W. Wanamaker Road.
Her co-workers included Donise Johnson, then 20, who had recently moved to Topeka from Camden, New Jersey.
Donise Johnson and her brother, Joe Johnson III, then 19, wanted to return to Camden. Donise Johnson's boyfriend — High, then 17 — also wanted to go.
In April 1993, Gardner agreed to give the group a ride to the local bus station in her red 1990 Ford Probe, which was equipped with a cellphone and a high-quality stereo system.
Instead, they abducted her, beat her about the head and strangled her to death using a purse strap near the Johnsons' home in the 5500 block of S.W. Huntoon.
High and the Johnsons left Gardner's body in a wooded area near what was then Kaw Area Technical School, 5724 S.W. Huntoon.
What happened to the killers?
Gardner's killers played basketball, then went in her car to Camden, N.J., where they were arrested after the car was involved in a hit-and-run crash.
High, Donise Johnson and Joe Johnson III were convicted as adults of first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping, and received prison sentences that left them ineligible for parole for 30 years. Each became parole-eligible last year for the first time.
A fellow defendant, Christopher Johnson, then 17, was arrested in Topeka and pleaded guilty as a juvenile to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. He spent four years in the state youth center.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Parole denied for man convicted in 1993 murder of Topeka teenager
