An edited transcript of the statement an Ogden physician gave to investigators after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the drug overdose death of a Sunset woman will be released this week.
Dr. Sherman Johnson, 58, pleaded guilty to manslaughter last year in the 1989 death of Donna Jones, a Sunset woman he had been treating for cancer for several years. An autopsy performed after Jones was exhumed in 1990 showed she died of a drug overdose and did not have cancer.The Associated Press this summer requested access to investigative records of the Davis County attorney's office relating to the case. County Attorney Mel Wilson turned down the request and the wire service appealed to the County Com-mission under the Utah Government Records Access and Management Act.
The commission agreed to release Johnson's statement to prosecutors, which runs 122 pages, which he made as part of his plea negotiation.
Deputy County Attorney Brian Namba is checking the transcript and deleting some potential witness names that are not a matter of public record to prevent them from being harassed, according to Jerry Hess, the deputy county attorney who handled the appeal.