On Tuesday, a judge in the US state of Missouri issued a legal ruling to reverse the conviction of an individual who had served almost 28 years on false charges for murder – which he continuously denied.
After a long and arduous legal dispute, Judge David Mason ultimately exonerated Lamar Johnson from his 50-year imprisonment with the assistance of lawyer Kim Gardner and The Innocence Foundation. This organization specializes in cases where defendants profess their innocence for crimes they have been accused of committing.
Johnson’s legal representative has expressed that Johnson will now have the opportunity to reunite with his family and partake in experiences he was deprived of during incarceration.
“The evidence that could have exonerated my client was there for all to see, yet those with bias and prejudice chose not to acknowledge it. This reveals their disregard for the life of a young black man,” declared the lawyer gravely.
Case story
- On October 1994, two masked men shot and killed Marcus Boyd on his home’s front porch. Johnson was then tried and convicted of the murder.
- Law enforcement and the district attorney’s office attributed the fatal event to a disagreement between drug dealers.
- Johnson maintained his innocence in spite of being in a relationship with Boyd, claiming he was spending the time of the incident with his girlfriend.
- Johnson was found guilty and condemned to life imprisonment, yet Phil Campbell cut a deal by pleading guilty to lesser charges in exchange for only 7 years behind bars.
- During her testimony, Erica Barrow, Johnson’s girlfriend at the time of the murder, claimed that he was with her throughout the evening except for a brief 5 minutes when he departed to conduct drug sales.
- In her deposition, Barrow pointed out that it was implausible for Johnson to have traveled between Boyd’s home and the drug buyers’ residence in 5 minutes due to the distance separating them.
- Johnson’s release was made possible due to the recantation of a crucial witness and an imprisoned individual who declared that it was him – not Johnson – partnering with Campbell in committing murder.
- James Howard is incarcerated for life, with his sentence being a result of multiple convictions three years after he committed the homicide of Boyd.
- At the hearing, Howard proclaimed that he and Campbell had conspired to rob Boyd due to an unpaid debt for drug sales owed by Boyd to a friend. He further indicated Johnson was absent from the decision-making process.
- During his testimony, Howard declared that he and Campbell ruthlessly shot Boyd in the nape and back of the head.
- Years ago, Howard and Campbell provided sworn statements acknowledging guilt in the crime and declaring Johnson’s innocence.
- In December 1994, James Gregory Elking testified that he was conversing with Boyd about procuring cocaine on the front porch when two masked assailants abruptly appeared and commenced their attack.
- When initially asked, Elking was unable to pin the criminals from memory; however, police officers applied pressure and showed him a set of photographs in an attempt to prompt recognition. Ultimately it worked – Johnson had actually been victimized by one of those featured.
- Elking eventually divulged that, after acceding to giving evidence against Johnson, he had been rewarded $4,000 from an anonymous donor.