Tech titan and wife insist they did not kill model
A tech millionaire and his wife are insisting they had nothing to do with the death of an 18-year-old model after her body was discovered in Malaysia.
A bitcoin millionaire and his wife have vehemently denied that they had anything to do with the death of an 18-year-old model after her nude body was found in Malaysia in December 2017.
In their first public comments since the tragedy, Alex Johnson told the Daily Mail he and his wife, Luna, "unequivocally" had nothing to do with the passing of Dutch model Ivana Smit, who died after plunging 200 feet from the couple's condominium.
Luna Johnson, 32, added: "Ivana was our friend and we both had relationships with her. She came with us willingly that night. I wished I had more time to know her. I lost a friend."
In March, a Malaysian coroner ruled that there was no criminal involvement in Smit's death. Police initially ruled Ivana's death as suicide but her family suspected foul play. A lawyer for the family, Sankara Nair, said they were disappointed by the finding and will challenge it.
Ivana Esther Robert Smit was found naked on the balcony of a sixth floor condo in Kuala Lumpur. (Credit: Viral Press)
Smit's family is preparing a private lawsuit against the Johnsons, who are also seeking legal counsel in an effort to defend themselves against what they say are false claims.
The Johnsons have admitted that they engaged in consensual sex with Smit. At the time, Smit told the couple she was 26. The Johnsons have also admitted that they have been with other women throughout their marriage.
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Alex, who reportedly became a millionaire trading bitcoin in Kuala Lumpur and founded the cryptocurrency company Everus World, said he did not care what anyone thinks anymore.
"I honestly don’t give a s*** what anybody thinks anymore," Alex continued in the interview. "We are numb to it… We have had a year and a half of this. We have lost everything and started over again. I don’t care anymore."
After Smit's body was found 200 feet below their condo in December 2017, the Johnsons were arrested, accused of drug use and breaking immigration laws. They were ultimately released without charge and blood tests did not show any traces of drugs and their visas were in working order. Alex is a U.S. citizen and his wife, Luna, is from Kazakhstan.
A post-mortem exam showed that Ivana had alcohol and cocaine in her system and high levels of para-Methoxymethamphetamine (PMMA), a stimulant drug that is occasionally sold as ecstasy. The Johnsons have repeatedly denied they gave Ivana drugs.
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The Daily Mail has obtained CCTV of Alex carrying Ivana out of a nightclub just after 5 a.m., with Luna following. They were then seen heading towards the couple's apartment.
Smit sent a picture of her and Luna to Smit's boyfriend, Lukas Kramer, at 7:25 a.m. Police believe that she fell from the balcony of the 20th story condo at 10 a.m. and landed on a six-story roof. Johnson said he and his wife were asleep at the time and Smit's body was not discovered until approximately 3 p.m.
Ultimately, Texas-born Alex and his wife left Malaysia in an effort to distance themselves, but have been harassed on social media and have received phone calls threatening to kidnap their young daughter.
"We got scared and we haven't been able to live our lives freely," said Luna, whose online digital marketing business has also closed down.
The couple left Malaysia for Singapore, before ultimately coming to the U.S., where they traveled across the country, ultimately winding up in Florida.
Alex, who now runs Everus World out of the couple's apartment, said that they have largely moved away from the nightlife scene.
"We have had our experiences and partied with narcotics," he said. "But when our daughter was born six years ago, we pulled away from the entire nightlife scene."
He continued: "Once in a while, we would dip our toe in and come out and that was one of those nights when we dipped our toes in. Prior to our daughter, we’d go out six nights a week."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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