Lake County Judge Samuel Cappas granted a request for a gag order Thursday to stop both mothers in a pending murder case from talking to the media, sources said.
Denver Johnson, 18, of Cedar Lake, is accused of fatally shooting his friend Jason M. Paholik Jr., 16, of Crown Point in a “prank” after drinking around a campfire.
Johnson was first charged in May with involuntary manslaughter, then the case was upgraded to murder about a week later.
Deputy Prosecutor Christopher Bruno filed the motion for a gag order Sept. 29 over concerns talking about the case’s details could taint — or bias — potential jurors for a trial, now scheduled for Nov. 13. Defense lawyer Sean Mullins, in court, did not object to the gag order.
Both mothers have said in court documents and interviews that the teens were longtime pals and believed the shooting was not intentional.
Police responded at 11:42 p.m. May 28 to the 12000 block of Burr Street in unincorporated Crown Point for a reported shooting.
“He’s in the back! I shot him!” Johnson told officers.
Paholik was transported to a hospital, but had likely already died, according to court documents.
Johnson said that he didn’t think it was loaded when he pointed it “point blank” at Paholik’s chest and pulled the trigger.
It was an “accident,” he said.
Johnson “passed out” at the scene and was also taken to the hospital for observation. Police recovered a Glock 17 9mm gun, records show.
Paholik’s mother told police her other son woke her up, saying Johnson shot Paholik in the backyard.
She “could not believe this,” because they “have been best friends forever.”
Johnson’s mother echoed this, telling police there’s no way he would have shot Paholik on purpose.
A witness told police everyone was sitting around a campfire listening to music around 9 p.m. when they started drinking beer.
Johnson was handling a gun “as if it was a toy.” He pointed the gun in the air and shot into the woods a few times. It was the first time a witness saw Johnson with a gun.
The witness thought mixing beer and a gun was a bad idea. He was talking to a girl when he heard a “gunshot,” then saw Paholik on the ground with a “hole in his chest.”
The shooting at 11:30 p.m. was captured on camera.
It appears to show four people, including Johnson and Paholik, were around a fire pit when Johnson appeared to cock the gun. He points it at Paholik.
Paholik walks out of camera view then back toward him.
“Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop,” someone there says.
Johnson lowered the gun for a moment before raising it up again and firing. Later, Johnson declined to speak with detectives again without a lawyer.
In October 2022, Andrew Lenahan, 18, was shot to death at a gathering of teens in Union Township. The teen girl charged with a Level 5 felony county of reckless homicide in that case has been waived to adult court.
