The brother of Perthshire murder victim Annalise Johnstone has changed his account of what happened to the weapon used to kill his sister.
Jordan Johnstone – acquitted of murdering his sister at the Maggie Wall witch monument in Dunning in 2018 – told a court a year later that he hid the knife inside a McDonald’s Happy Meal box before burying it at the side of the Inchture to Errol road.
But six years on, he has retracted his original version of events and now alleges the blame lies with his ex-girlfriend Angela Newlands, found not guilty of killing Annalise.
I interviewed the 31-year-old – who says he has been disowned by his family and the travelling community since his not proven verdict – for a new podcast by The Courier exploring the unsolved murder of Annalise Johnstone.
‘I don’t know where it is’
Asked about the weapon, he says: “As far as I can remember, it was a Stanley blade.
“We don’t use the word box cutter for that. Gypsies don’t use that.”
He adds: “I tried to explain it wasn’t me who buried that murder weapon. That was Angela.
“That was not me, that was her. I tried to explain this, and it got taken on record that it was me that did it.
“I want to put it clear that it was not me that touched that murder weapon.
“That was Angela, not me.”
Ms Newlands could not be reached for comment.
She was cleared of murder after a High Court judge ruled there was insufficient evidence.
Mr Johnstone – who admitted carrying his dead sister’s body for two miles and dumping her by a roadside – continued: “If I knew where it [the murder weapon] was, I would walk to it today and hand it to you.
“I do not know where it is, or I would have given it to the police, because it’s the only thing that would exonerate me.
“I mean that from the bottom of my heart.”
Podcast explores Annalise Johnstone case
The builder’s comments contradict his courtroom testimony and the accounts published by multiple media outlets that covered the 2019 trial.
Despite a police search following the trial, no weapon was found.
Last year we revealed police followed up on new information relating to Annalise’s death.
Who Killed Annalise? – a new podcast from The Courier – explores the unsolved murder of the 22-year-old traveller.
It features interviews with investigators, witnesses and those closest to Annalise and Jordan Johnstone, some of whom are speaking publicly for the first time.
In Mr Johnstone’s first interview in six years, he faces questions about:
- The night of his sister’s murder
- His relationship with Angela Newlands
- His violent past
The podcast also charts the fortunes of Ms Newlands since her acquittal.
You can listen to the full series, ad free, by downloading The Courier app.
Subscribers to The Courier will be the first to receive new episodes, while the series is also available on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and Spotify.
