Justin Johnston

June 2, 2011

Costa Rica

Justin Johnston was an exceptional, outgoing and charismatic 16-year-old youth who cared about helping others. He made our days brighter with his free and lighthearted spirit, personable smile and ever present “thumbs up”. He was an honor roll student and participated in cross-country and power lifting. He received the runner up state medal for bench press his sophomore year. Baseball was his passion. Justin was also serious about Catholic faith . He was a regular Scripture reader at Sunday mass. One of the last scriptures he read, a week and a half before his death, was this: “Select from among you…. reputable men filled with the Spirit” and “a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit.” These Scriptures describe Justin well.

Justin had planned to attend the University of Kansas with the desire to study forensics, criminal law, or police work. He truly was an all American boy who lived his life to its fullest. He made an indelible impression on all of our hearts, always with one or two thumbs up, until the morning of June 2, 2011.

On May 30, 2011, Justin and his high school Spanish class left for Costa Rica. The trip was booked with EF Tours and was supposed to be a trip of a lifetime – safe, but full of fun and adventure. Tragedy struck a few days later while the group was staying in the city of La Fortuna de San Carlos. Justin and another student were heading back to their hotel room when Justin was fatally shot by a hotel security guard. We found out later that the guard who shot Justin was actually an illegal immigrant from Nicaragua with no security training, no uniform and no license to possess a firearm.  How could this happen?  A Costa Rican court convicted the guard of homicide with 15 years in prison. It has been appealed with a new trial issued. No date has been set yet.

We had hopes that the court’s decision would send a strong message to the hotel and tourism industry in Costa Rica to comply with the laws designed to protect the safety and welfare of both tourists and citizens alike. We want to prevent another senseless act causing death. We hope no other parent will experience the anguish of losing a child on an educational trip abroad. Justin’s death was caused by failure to comply with basic laws.

We are suing EF Tours because the lack of adequate emergency medical resources in Costa Rica caused a delay in obtaining medical emergency case treatment for Justin. This contributed to his death. EF Tours either knew or should have known that emergency medical services in Costa Rica are not as readily available as they are in the United States.

ClearCause gives us a chance to make a difference. Parents need to be aware of tour companies’ safety records before sending their kids abroad. Federal laws need to be created to hold the tour companies responsible to protect our students. Safety is NOT an accident.

Justin will remain in our hearts and our lives as a divine and powerful influence.


Wendi Johnston, Justin’s mother