Lamar Johnson, who was wrongfully convicted and spent 28 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, was finally acquitted due to a new Missouri law that allows prosecutors to ask courts to set aside wrongful convictions. Two pro bono lawyers from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner worked as special prosecutors for St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner during a week-long trial to prove the innocence of Lamar Johnson.
According to a press release by Bryan Cave, Judge David Mason of the Missouri 22nd Judicial Circuit Court found that Johnson was innocent in the 1994 shooting death of Marcus Boyd. Johnson’s co-defendant and another man later confessed to the crime, and a key witness recanted. Despite this, then-Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt fought to keep Johnson in prison, citing credibility issues and contradictory statements by people now vouching for him.
Johnson had always maintained his innocence and claimed that he was with his girlfriend on the night of the crime, except for a few minutes when he went outside to make a drug sale. Before 2022, convicted Missouri defendants but not prosecutors could seek to overturn their criminal convictions. Gardner’s office had concluded that Johnson was innocent in 2019, but it couldn’t obtain a new trial.
Johnson’s case was the first in which St. Louis prosecutors sought an exoneration under the 2021 law, according to the Bryan Cave press release. The two Bryan Cave lawyers appointed as prosecutors seeking to overturn the conviction were Charles A. Weiss and Jonathan B. Potts. The Midwest Innocence Project and the law firms Morgan Pilate and Lathrop GPM also worked on the case for Johnson.
“It took an innocence organization, three law firms, the circuit attorney, both chambers of Missouri’s legislature, and the governor’s signature on a law passed for him to free Lamar Johnson,” said the lawyers representing Johnson in a statement, according to the Kansas City Star. “That is intolerable. That is not justice. We can and must do better.”
Despite being acquitted, Johnson is not entitled to compensation from the state because it is only offered to people exonerated by DNA evidence. However, his release from prison marks a significant victory for the criminal justice system. It highlights the importance of pro bono legal work in securing justice for wrongfully convicted people.
In conclusion, Lamar Johnson’s exoneration is a significant victory for criminal justice reform and a testament to the tireless efforts of pro bono lawyers and organizations such as the Midwest Innocence Project. It underscores the importance of wrongful conviction laws and the role of prosecutors in seeking justice and serves as a reminder that we must do better in fighting for a fairer legal system.
REFERENCES:
Man who spent 28 years in prison is exonerated with help of pro bono lawyers