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48 hours is investigating the wrongful conviction of a Missouri man you've heard part of this story before in
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February Lamar Johnson was exonerated for a murder he didn't commit he had spent nearly three decades in prison
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after a witness picked him out of a police lineup That witness Greg elking says he was pressured by law enforcement
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Aaron Moriarty has been covering this case since 2021 and for this week's 48 Hours she spoke with elking for the
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first time here's an early look at her report Why didn't what kept Lamar Johnson going during his
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final days in prison was the hope that he would be set free in time to walk his youngest daughter Kiara down the aisle
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at her wedding in April 2023 that dream came true [Music] we're in a St Louis courtroom a judge
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set that dream in motion when he overturned Johnson's murder conviction after 28 years behind bars he was more
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than a free man Lamar Johnson had been exonerated for the murder of his friend Marcus Boyd I am a free man an
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exonerated man and a blessed man Johnson had been fighting to clear his name since 1995 when he was convicted
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largely on the word of this man Greg Elgin had identified him as one of the shooters who took Boyd's life as he sat
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on his front porch these guys they had completely dark clothing and they had masks on could you really identify these
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men no I couldn't identify him yet Elkin says he was pressured by investigators to identify Lamar Johnson after he was
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told Johnson was dangerous and that his own life could be in danger elkim became
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the star witness at trial did it occur to you that you might have put an innocent man yes Behind Bars without a
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doubt because I lied on the testimony why didn't you tell somebody why didn't you say that
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nobody talks to me nobody who am I going to tell him but years later he sent this
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letter to a clergyman admitting he had lied that admission in part would launch an investigation by St Louis circuit
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attorney Kimberly Gardner and lead to Johnson's Freedom it's devastating for me that this man has spent 28 years in
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prison for a crime he did not commit Oh Boy Aaron Murray already joins us now Aaron good morning I think it's
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devastating for anybody who believes in law and Justice to hear that somebody who's wrongly convicted for 28 years and
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that the person who put him there uh was pressured to do so according to him anyway well yes and I mean it's it was
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eye-opening for me um it took a lot to get him to sit down because he didn't want to admit publicly
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but then when he finally did the right thing last December and testified for Lamar I think he wanted to explain why
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yeah um in part as as you guys don't know why he lied at 28 years and you know that
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that man is innocent he's sitting behind bar how do you live with yourself with that information well and he says he had
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a very difficult time but think back then he's the only eyewitness he sees his friend get shot executed really yeah
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he tells the police over and over again this is his story that he didn't see a face and he tells me that today he has
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no idea who those two guys were and the police doesn't say hey this we know who it is right at least that's his story
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the detective deny that and that your life could be in danger but what was chilling for me is that alkene admitted
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to me in the interview that he never really looked at him until he was about to point him out at trial and then he
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realized that Lamar was lighter skinned than the guys he saw and that's why I said why didn't why didn't you tell
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somebody and he he had been you know in the witness protection program they gave
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him was he paid oh yeah he got cash um he had his outstanding warrants clears it probably is so it's not black
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and white I mean literally it's just and that's what was so interesting about interviewing him but I'm still thinking
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about Lamar Johnson absolutely absolutely wow all right Aaron Moriarty thank you very much you
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can see Aaron's full report Lamar Johnson standing in truth on 48 hours tomorrow night at 10 9 Central right
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here on CBS and Paramount plus they're going to want to tune in we'll be right back