14 minutes agoHe spent 28 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit, the American is released.
Periskopi(3 years ago)
(3 years ago)A man who has spent nearly 28 years in prison for a murder he has repeatedly denied he committed was released in Missouri on Tuesday, reports the BBC. Lamar Johnson, 50, left the court in St. Louis as a free man after Judge David Mason declared him innocent. The judge said [...]
A man who has spent nearly 28 years in prison for a murder he has repeatedly denied he committed was released in Missouri on Tuesday, reports the BBC.
Lamar Johnson, 50, left the court in St. Louis as a free man after Judge David Mason declared him innocent.
The judge said he acted after two witnesses offered “clear and convincing testimony” that Johnson is innocent.
He was sentenced for the 1994 murder of Marcus Boyd.
Johnson seemed moved when the decision was made, while his supporters applauded.
“I am very excited”, Johnson said, as he left the courtroom.
Last year, lawyer Kim Gardner applied for Johnson's release after conducting an investigation along with the non-profit legal organisation Inocence Project.
Marcus Boyd was shot dead by two masked men near Johnson's house in October 1994.
Johnson had repeatedly insisted that he was not home when the attack occurred.
Judge Mason has said he has made the decision to release Johnson after a witness has withdrawn his testimony and a prisoner has admitted to shooting Boyd along with another suspect, Phil Campbell.
During the initial session, Campbell was convicted of accepting a smaller sentence and sentenced to seven years in prison.
