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foreign [Music] you're looking up and you're calling out for help from people and people are
00:00:19
walking by you know because they don't hear you I don't think people know how blessed
00:00:25
they are to be able to just hug somebody that they love or to wake up in a house with people
00:00:30
that love you I haven't had the chance to do that in 28 years I'm just going to ask you did you kill
00:00:40
Marcus Boyd I did not kill Marcus he was like a friend he was one of my best friends and I I loved him in 1994
00:00:48
Marcus Boyd was shot Marcus Boyd was shot and killed ran up and shot and killed Boyd when he pulled the trigger I
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seen The Flash I swear I could almost see like muscle and tendons because the flash was so big it's like an x-ray
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could you see their faces could you identify these men no I couldn't identify them
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he had an alibi I was about three miles away at a friend's house and his girlfriend at the time provided that
00:01:24
alibi I know he didn't do it he wasn't there he was not involved you agreed to line up agree to Atlanta
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I couldn't identify anybody in all of it Greg viewed the lineup with Lamar Johnson in it at least three times
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there's no identification and that should have been the end of it right there it wasn't
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I felt bullied by the detectives and only after pressure from the detective did he all of a sudden say oh yeah yeah
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that guy did it it just kept having pressure to go along with this he saw his friend murdered he was scared he was
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easily manipulated by the police and the prosecutor in this case I had what I believe to be a murderer and I had an
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identification witness who I believed was truthful and honest I presented the evidence that I had and a jury convicted
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him a trial of heirs from start to finish it was devastating since my conviction I have been
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petitioning every judge to give me a hearing and no judge has given me a chance to be hurt
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oh man I don't know what else to do I love so much it's just milestones everything that a little girl wishes
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that she could you know experience with her dad [Music] our conviction Integrity unit found new
00:03:02
evidence that will exonerate Mr Lamar Johnson there's something powerful really powerful in our system of justice when
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the prosecutor says we're the ones who made the mistake we're trying to free this man it's
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it's devastating for me that this man has spent 28 years in prison for a crime he did not commit
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this is really kind of Lamar Johnson's last chance isn't it yes that is absolutely true
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foreign [Music] foreign foreign [Music] still locked up at 49. Lamar Johnson has
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spent most of his life in prison for a crime he insists he did not commit how do you keep up hope
00:04:45
I have a choice I I know the truth I know that I didn't kill Marcus Lamar Johnson was convicted of
00:04:55
first-degree murder in 1995 for shooting 25 year old Marcus Boyd on his front porch Johnson was sentenced to life
00:05:04
without the possibility of parole whatever you lost time and uh there was a closeness between especially
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with a father and his daughters and die I missed being able [Music] to be a part of their life
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you want your dad to come home yeah I definitely do Brittany Johnson was just one year old when her dad was sent away
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it was definitely hard but I learned to live without my dad was just an infant then
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we're still waiting there is still an innocent man in prison Kiera's mother Erica Barrow
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did you think you'd marry him yes I did I mean he was my first love Lamar Johnson grew up in St Louis
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consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in the country his South Side neighborhood in 1994 was
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battered by high crime and homicide raids Johnson had steered clear of serious trouble
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he wanted to better himself he wanted to be the man that he needed to be for his
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his children so Johnson the 20 year old father of two worked at Jiffy Lube while attending
00:06:35
Community College but he also had a dangerous side hustle selling small amounts of crack cocaine for extra cash
00:06:45
yes I was making some poor choices then and I take responsibility for that but that wasn't the sum of who I was
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selling drugs wasn't his life it was just something to help him manage until he could do better
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Johnson's good friend Marcus Boyd five years older had also started a family and was holding down a solid job at a
00:07:11
printing company and he too sold drugs on the side Marcus was like the the prippy type you know he wasn't very
00:07:20
Street he was a really really good guy Greg alkene then 30 had worked briefly with Boyd at the printing company
00:07:30
and Elkin admits he was an occasional customer on the evening of October 30th 1994 he wanted to get high but Boyd said
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no he was like we're going to go to work tomorrow so we actually sat down on the
00:07:47
front porch up on the stairs Marcus Boyd Street Louisiana Avenue was empty his girlfriend and their baby were upstairs
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all he talked about all the time you know was about his baby and about his girlfriend he's making me laugh we're
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kind of laughing at each other but all of a sudden he went serious he was like oh no
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from the narrow pathway next to Boyd's apartment two men came out of nowhere barely visible in the dim light these
00:08:18
guys they had completely dark clothing and they had masks on black masks like this one and they had guns
00:08:27
the men flew up the porch step says elkane one attacked Marcus Boyd and he's wrestling with Marcus the second Gun Man
00:08:37
grabbed elking and he says get up I remember looking at him right in the guy's eyes the other guy I seen him put
00:08:45
the gun right up to Marcus's like neck area and when he pulled the trigger I seen
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The Flash boom the third shot I kind of seen Marcus's Soul just go and I knew I knew he was dead
00:09:05
to Elkin's horror both men continued to shoot Boyd then vanished the same way they had appeared sprinting down the
00:09:14
dark pathway surprisingly the shooters spared the only eyewitness you say you've looked into one Shooter's
00:09:23
eyes all I seen was the eyes could you tell whether he was white or black I knew he was black
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when the gunmen were gone Greg elking took off in the opposite direction as he ran away alkene says he could hear
00:09:38
Marcus Boyd's girlfriend screaming it's still hard to talk about it isn't it [Music]
00:09:52
and where were you when this happened I was about three miles away Johnson says he was with his girlfriend Erica Barrow
00:10:00
and their five-month-old daughter Kiara visiting friends Erica says that entire evening Lamar Johnson was out of her
00:10:08
sight just once so we were there because he was making a transaction someone was
00:10:13
coming and so he was just like I'll be right back Johnson left the house Erica says
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just as she began changing Kiara's diaper and um I went out to meet uh somebody that I was dealing with
00:10:30
Zimmer picked him up at the corner of 39th and Lafayette Johnson says they completed a quick transaction while
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driving around the block by the time I finished changing her diaper and cleaned everything up he's
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coming back up the steps and how long does that take three to five minutes and he's talking you know nothing out of the
00:10:54
ordinary he was just normal minutes later Johnson got a call that Marcus Boyd had been shot the next day
00:11:04
he learned that Boyd had died Johnson's own life began to unravel according to investigators when the asked Boyd's
00:11:13
girlfriend whom she suspected only one name came to mind Lamar Johnson she thought the longtime
00:11:22
friends might have had a falling out well Marcus and I have never had an argument or a fight
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I loved him I had no reason to want to hurt him you agreed to talk to the cops without a lawyer that was risky wasn't
00:11:35
it well now I didn't have anything [Music] four days after Marcus boy was shot to
00:11:56
death on his front porch St Louis Police Tracked Down the only eyewitness to the
00:12:01
murder Greg Elke how would you describe what you went through that night it was the most horrifying thing I ever seen in
00:12:09
my life shaken and scared Elkin says he was initially reluctant to talk until he
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met lead investigator Joe Nickerson I thought he was a this amazing dude I thought he was like Nick Nolte from 48
00:12:22
hours out of a movie he was awesome I mean it was it was somebody that I just immediately admired
00:12:30
Elkin says even though the shooters were wearing masks he could tell they were dark-skinned black men but he only saw
00:12:37
the eyes of one of them still Nickerson he says insisted on showing him several photos one says Elkin stood out I said
00:12:47
these eyes there's something about these eyes and that's all I said it was a photo of Lamar Johnson
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and immediately he said would you sign the back of it and I said no I don't want to sign the back of it why not
00:13:01
because I didn't want nothing to do with this because I couldn't pick out no murderer and I don't even think he's the
00:13:08
I didn't say he was a murderer Nickerson Elkin says warned him his life could be
00:13:14
at risk telling him that Lamar Johnson was a dangerous man who may have been involved in as many as six murders
00:13:21
attorney Lindsey Reynolds says none of that was true if they had any evidence whatsoever then
00:13:29
or now Lamar Johnson would be charged with a crime runnels began working on Johnson's case
00:13:35
when she was in law school does he have a record at all for violence no his record was is and was minor it's a
00:13:44
possession charge possession of cocaine and then a tampering with a license plate
00:13:50
she says Johnson received probation for those offenses still she says cops aware
00:13:57
of his criminal record kept him and young men like him on their radar it's just the usual suspect's type of round
00:14:05
him up and everybody's Guilty By Association but after the murder on Louisiana Avenue police had a new reason
00:14:13
to focus on Lamar Johnson the victim's girlfriend had given them his name and now they have what they said was a photo
00:14:21
identification on the evening of November 3rd 1994 four days after the murder they arrested
00:14:30
Johnson along with his friend Philip Campbell I couldn't even understand why why would
00:14:37
they arrest you John's girlfriend at the time and his Alibi for the night of the murder Erica
00:14:43
Barrow I begged him to get a lawyer and all he kept saying is I don't want my mom and
00:14:51
stepfather pay all the money all this money for a lawyer I didn't do it I didn't have anything to hurt so uh you
00:15:00
know I believed in a system I believed that if I explained to them what I knew and where I was that that would sort
00:15:06
itself out at the police station Johnson agreed to a live lineup I wanted to try to be as Cooperative
00:15:14
because I could I wanted them to to investigate and talk to the people whose house I was that night you know I would
00:15:23
expect that they would reach the conclusion that I didn't have anything to do with
00:15:26
but investigators never spoke to anyone who had been with Johnson on the night of the shooting not even Erica Barrow
00:15:34
they put him in that lineup he's the third man in this photo and brought in Elkin to view it could you identify
00:15:43
anyone no all together alkene viewed that lineup three times and never picked Johnson Elkin was then asked to view a
00:15:52
different live lineup Lamar Johnson wasn't there but the man arrested with him Philip Campbell is number four in
00:16:00
this photo Elkin still couldn't identify anyone and says he feared he'd let down
00:16:07
the detective he admired and trusted I felt so bad I could see it in his eyes like I I hurt this guy like this whole
00:16:16
time you know I've just wasted his time then according to alkene he asked Detective Joe Nickerson how he could
00:16:24
help all that came out of my mouth was like all right Joel it you tell me what the numbers were and
00:16:32
I'll tell you if they were correct what does he say to you he says three and four and I was like you're right three
00:16:37
and four Lamar Johnson was number three in that first line up Phillip Campbell was the fourth man in the other lineup
00:16:46
if Joe Nickerson is telling me that three and four is it it's got to be Lamar and whoever Philip because he
00:16:54
wouldn't lie to me Joe wouldn't lie to me so you picked three and four because Nickerson told you yeah
00:17:01
we asked Joe Nickerson for an interview he declined our request but sent us a text saying in part I went where the fax
00:17:09
evidence and circumstances took me Elkin claims he told no one that Nickerson had
00:17:15
allegedly given him the suspect's numbers in the lineups instead he told the other detectives that he was able to
00:17:23
identify Lamar Johnson because of his distinctive eye they had asked me what do you mean about
00:17:29
the eye when you say that you could pick you know these eyes and I and I said I don't know like like a lazy eye or
00:17:36
something like it's different from the other Dwight Warren the prosecutor says he
00:17:41
pressed elking on his identification of Johnson I believed Mr elking because it was from
00:17:48
straight in their eye and said you know I want to know if he did it tell me you're sure of your identification
00:17:53
please tell me the truth because I don't want to go uh and charge somebody who's
00:17:58
not guilty what did Greg Elkins say to you when you said that to him well a quote unquote you know I couldn't tell
00:18:06
you but he told me he was telling the truth that he was he knew who did the shooting and it was Lamar Johnson and
00:18:13
Philip Campbell so I charged them both in July 1995 Lamar Johnson went on trial with Elkin as the star witness if he'd
00:18:23
backed off of that I would never have issued the case so it was he was absolutely essential to bolster the case
00:18:29
one of the witnesses the prosecution called was William mock a jailhouse informant with a lengthy criminal
00:18:36
history who claimed that he overheard Johnson and Campbell in a holding cell talking about the murder but attorney
00:18:44
Lindsay Ronald says Mark was incredible and that his cell wasn't close enough to
00:18:51
hear anything Lamar wasn't ever selled with Campbell and Campbell nor Lamar were ever in the same cell as William
00:18:59
mock so how could you hear this if it happened at all which it didn't don't you want to make sure that jailhouse
00:19:08
snitch is telling the truth how am I gonna do that well you wouldn't put someone on the stand unless you could
00:19:14
check out their story right unless I did check it out he was in two jail cells away he was in a position to to be able
00:19:23
to hear that Johnson didn't take the stand at his trial the defense relied on his
00:19:28
girlfriend Erica Barrow who told the jury he was with her at the time of the murder it took less than two hours for
00:19:36
the jurors to reach a verdict guilty Johnson's life had been changed Forever by Greg Elkin who says that as he was
00:19:46
pointing at Johnson at trial he knew he had identified the wrong man this isn't the dude I seen at all because to me
00:19:56
Lamar is not dark and not what I seen you had dealt right afterwards why didn't you tell somebody why didn't you
00:20:05
say that nobody talks to me nobody who am I going to tell him I don't know who I could have told did it occur to you at
00:20:14
that moment that you might have put an innocent man yes Behind Bars without a doubt
00:20:20
because I lied on the testimony I lied because I thought I was doing the right thing
00:20:38
[Music] [Music] Lamar Johnson was just 21 years old when he was convicted of murder
00:20:52
at my trial they did not even present a motive they never explained why supposedly did this
00:20:57
and then before his sentencing Johnson received surprising new information that he believed would prove his innocence
00:21:06
handwritten letters from his friend the other suspected killer Philip Campbell one said you didn't do a thing he said
00:21:15
I'm sorry you got convicted for something you didn't do he said he wanted to come forth but his attorney
00:21:20
wouldn't let him because he thought he could beat his case and Philip Campbell was actually one of the shooters he was
00:21:25
Campbell even named the other shooter who was with him on the night of the murder a man named James B.A Howard
00:21:34
Johnson now had the names of both shooters he wrote the judge and asked for a hearing but his request was denied
00:21:42
in September 1995 Lamar Johnson was sentenced to life in prison without parole girlfriend Erica Barrow blames
00:21:51
law enforcement you didn't care to check his alibi you wanted to blame someone exactly that you just flat out didn't
00:22:03
care you didn't care Lamar Johnson didn't give up he became his own jailhouse lawyer sifting through
00:22:12
police reports trial transcripts and Gathering new evidence Johnson with legal help filed a petition asking for a
00:22:21
new trial in 1996. again he was denied then two years later he would meet another inmate with a similar story we
00:22:33
were both assigned to Potosi Correctional Center in Missouri our friendship was almost instant Ricky Kidd
00:22:42
who is also serving a life sentence for murder remembers when he first learned about Johnson's case
00:22:49
he said I have to go to the law library I said what are you working on and he turned to me he said well I know
00:22:55
everybody says this but I'm innocent and I a big old smile appeared across my face kind of like you're seeing right
00:23:03
now and I said well I know everybody say this but I'm innocent too the two men made a pact in prison he
00:23:12
said let's make a promise that whoever makes it I will come back for the other and we shook on it
00:23:19
the Midwest Innocence Project had already been working on kids case before he himself was exonerated kid says he
00:23:28
convinced lawyers there to take a closer look at Johnson's case when that team of
00:23:34
lawyers began their research they discovered that the star witness Greg Elkin imprisoned himself for bank
00:23:41
robbery had written a letter to a clergyman admitting he had lied at Johnson's trial
00:23:48
what did you think would happen again I thought that I would be heard so it made me even more hopeful that I
00:23:55
would get the court would at least listen Elkin's letter would reveal another reason why he agreed to testify against
00:24:02
Johnson at the time of the murder Elkin had been in serious Financial Straits detective Nickerson and the prosecutor's
00:24:10
office put him in a witness protection program Elkins debts were paid and his outstanding traffic warrants cleared and
00:24:20
that's not all whose idea was to give you money to move you to give you cash Joe Nickerson they pay my first month in
00:24:28
last month's rent for for a house all together alkene had received more than four thousand dollars none of that
00:24:36
was disclosed to Johnson and his lawyer at trial Johnson repeatedly asked for a hearing
00:24:45
he was denied and his case stalled I mean what else is needed the only thing that's that that I
00:24:53
haven't been able to present is DNA and God I wish there was some DNA then in 2018 St Louis circuit attorney
00:25:04
Kimberly Gardner agreed to look at his case she had created a conviction Integrity unit to look at cases of
00:25:12
possible wrongful conviction and I started seeing some red flags and I consulted my team and I said I
00:25:21
think we have a problem here one of the many flags for Gardner was the timeline for the murder could
00:25:28
Johnson have had time to kill his friend Marcus Boyd Erica Barrow said Johnson had only left their friend's apartment
00:25:35
for around five minutes you cannot drive that distance you'd have to be speeding
00:25:40
through St Louis to even get there and then you'd have to speed all the way back there's no way you could do that
00:25:46
but prosecutor Dwight Warren says Erica could have lost track of time the Johnson could have been gone as long as
00:25:53
15 minutes she didn't have a stopwatch Lamar got into a car and took off at Johnson's trial Detective Joe
00:26:02
Nickerson testified that it only took him five minutes to go from The Alibi location to the crime scene
00:26:09
we asked Chief investigator Robert ogaby from the circuit attorney's office to take us on that same Drive according to
00:26:17
testimony it just takes five minutes to get there you're laughing yeah we timed the drive using a cell phone
00:26:29
yep 12 55 13 minutes 13 minutes one way that's more than double the time detective Nickerson said
00:26:40
it took in 2019 circuit attorney Kimberly Gardner's team released a detailed report listing numerous errors that
00:26:50
undermine Johnson's conviction as a prosecutor you put people in prison you don't try to get them out as a
00:26:58
prosecutor no prosecutor I believe wants to secure conviction wrongfully using wrong tactics that's just not what
00:27:07
we want to do we want to get it right jurors never learn that jailhouse informant William mock was a racist who
00:27:14
had a hatred for black people nor did they hear the majority of his criminal record and they were never told Greg
00:27:22
galking had been paid thousands of dollars Gardner was convinced Johnson was innocent but when she tried to get
00:27:30
his conviction overturned Court after court including the Missouri Supreme Court said she didn't have the power
00:27:39
and when you try to abide by your oath and you're stopped every way it weighs on you
00:27:46
in 2021 the Missouri legislature passed a law that gave Gardner and other prosecutors the power to bring cases of
00:27:54
Innocence to court a year later Johnson got the news he had been praying for after nearly three decades in prison he
00:28:04
would finally get a hearing to present new evidence in his case foreign [Music] on December 12 2022 Lamar Johnson and
00:28:28
his legal team gathered in a St Louis courtroom for a week-long hearing his daughters Brittany and Kiera were in the
00:28:36
courtroom nearly every day I think we're all trying to be hopeful that my dad gets Justice
00:28:46
one man Judge David Mason will decide Johnson's future he has three options overturned the
00:28:55
conviction and Grant a new trial overturn the conviction and declare Johnson innocent or he could uphold the
00:29:03
jury's verdict what is at stake here with this judge's decision Justice and the Integrity of
00:29:10
the whole criminal justice system circuit attorney Kimberly Gardner Sat by Johnson instead of her usual seat at the
00:29:19
prosecution table Gardner appointed two lawyers to handle Johnson's case Charlie Weiss and
00:29:27
Jonathan Potts I took this case because I believe that Lamar Johnson's innocent I didn't take it because I think he
00:29:35
might be innocent there was no physical evidence at all connecting Lamar Johnson
00:29:40
with the murder of Marcus Boyd period thank you your honor may have pleased the court this is a rather historic
00:29:47
moment in this court this is the first time where the court is hearing an actual
00:29:53
innocence claim filed by a prosecuting attorney good morning your honor the Missouri attorney general's office and a
00:30:00
team of their own to argue that Johnson's conviction should stand in response to our request for an interview
00:30:07
they provided us with this written statement that read in part the Attorney General's office has fought to keep a
00:30:15
convicted murder in prison the judge attorney Miranda lesch told the judge not to trust the witnesses who were
00:30:24
about to vouch for Johnson's innocence they're going to ask you you do you believe convicted murderers and gang
00:30:31
members their evidence is not credible Johnson's team calls their first witness James Howard takes the stand and admits
00:30:42
that he's one of the men who murdered Marcus Boyd How did Marcus die give me a Philip camel killed him has on
00:30:51
the front porch remember Philip Campbell had written Lamar Johnson saying he and
00:30:56
Howard were the real Shooters Campbell who was later convicted of the murder took a deal and served only five years
00:31:04
he has since died Howard was never charged with Boyd's death he's currently in prison for life for unrelated crimes
00:31:13
including murdering another man I killed him the exact same way I fired two shots in the back of his head
00:31:20
but attorneys Jonathan Potts and Charlie Weiss can't rely on Howard's word alone
00:31:26
they must now tear apart the original case against Lamar Johnson they call Greg Elke the state's former star
00:31:34
Witness law enforcement was wanting me to help and I trust them I wanted to help Elkin told the court
00:31:43
that he felt pressured by Detective Joe Nickerson to identify Johnson in the lineup he goes I know you know who it is
00:31:52
and you're just not saying and this is the part I hate the most I just remember saying to him
00:32:00
you tell me the numbers and I'll tell you if you're right and he did and I was like
00:32:08
that was it that was the numbers and I've been living with 25 28 years and I'm telling you either
00:32:16
I just wish I just wish I could change time on day three judge Mason questioned the
00:32:27
original prosecutor in the case Dwight Warren about the reliability of Greg Elkins identification of Lamar Johnson
00:32:35
he told you and the officers that it was based upon him looking at the eyes because that was all he could see isn't
00:32:43
that correct I believe so and did he or did he not tell you that all of this happened within seconds
00:32:50
yeah yes and that's what you decided was sufficiently liable to seek a murder conviction to take it to a jury yes sir
00:33:00
two perpetrators came Warren admitted to Johnson's lawyers that without an eyewitness he would never have filed
00:33:07
charges in the first place oh absolutely not I didn't have any evidence on day four Lamar Johnson finally got
00:33:18
the chance to defend himself in his own words but you talked to him detective Nickerson that night correct yes ma'am
00:33:25
attorney Miranda Lesh asked him about his conversation with Detective Nickerson a few days after the murder
00:33:34
and other boys my friend I didn't shoot him I said okay I was I voluntarily participate in Atlanta you had
00:33:42
everything to lose at that point Didn't you I didn't think so you didn't think so
00:33:47
I didn't commit the homicide so why would I be concerned that I had everything to lose
00:33:54
as the hearing week neared the end detective Nickerson takes the stand the man elking claims pressured him into
00:34:02
falsely identifying Johnson Mr Elkin goes hey I know who it is it's number three in the first lineup and
00:34:10
it's number four in the second lineup and did you tell him to say that I didn't tell them to say anything
00:34:17
but judge Mason had some questions of his own for Nickerson are you aware that all the evidence suggested your witness
00:34:25
could only recognize some aspects of the odds I'm aware of that let's stand up Mr
00:34:33
Johnson hello what in the world is just about this man's asses oh you can tell his eyes are different I just tell
00:34:45
me what you see I can tell that his right eye is different from his left one is lower or higher than the other
00:34:54
okay how would you describe the involvement of Judge Mason in this case well that
00:35:01
was one of the most unique things I've seen in any trial I've ever covered columnist Tony messenger covered the
00:35:09
case for the St Louis Post-Dispatch he didn't just ask questions he took over the questioning at times and made it
00:35:18
very clear when he was believing something and when he wasn't after five days of witnesses court
00:35:27
adjourned with his freedom on the line Johnson was taken to a Saint Louis jail to wait for
00:35:34
judge Mason's decision I don't know how to not fight for my innocence to fight what was right what
00:35:42
was wrongfully taken from me what do you think the Judge should do in this case take a look at the evidence at
00:35:51
48hours.com [Music] it's been really hard [Music] we heard everything in court Lamar
00:36:12
Johnson's daughter Kiara Barrow has finally heard what happened to her father so many years ago the misconduct
00:36:20
and the negligence that occurred the hardest thing was just that Greg lied knowing that his testimony did put
00:36:29
them in jail Brittany Johnson believes that Greg alkane's lies robbed her of time with her dad
00:36:37
I'm very angry this is hard yes it's very hard I hate that I'm crying right now but that is is the most important role
00:36:50
but their weight isn't over two months passed with no decision from the judge Kiara is hoping it happens soon
00:36:59
we've been robbed of so many opportunities and Milestones I'm getting married in April of this
00:37:07
year it would just mean so much to me and I know to my father to have him if they're with me and for him to be
00:37:22
able to give me away finally on a Tuesday afternoon in February Johnson's family and friends
00:37:30
returned to the courtroom lawyers with the Missouri attorney general's office fighting Johnson's
00:37:38
release are at one table at the other the team trying to win Johnson's freedom seated next to Johnson his attorney
00:37:47
Lindsey runnels what should judge Mason do in this case judge Mason should vacate these convictions and Lamar
00:37:55
Johnson should walk out of that courtroom today after both legal teams were given copies
00:38:05
of his final opinion Judge David Mason announced his decision on February 14 2023
00:38:14
after reviewing both the underlying trial as well as the entirety of the hearing
00:38:22
for the reasons stated above it is said by order that the motion of the circuit attorney of the 22nd
00:38:30
Judicial Circuit filed herein for the benefit of Lamar Johnson is granted [Applause]
00:38:38
[Music] [Applause] the conviction of Lamar Johnson David Lamar Johnson calls 22-941-37068 is hereby set aside and
00:38:50
held for not Johnson's murder conviction was overturned the judge also found that
00:38:59
there was clear and convincing evidence of Johnson's innocence after more than 28 years behind bars he
00:39:07
was more than a free man 49 year old Lamar Johnson had finally been exonerated bill
00:39:17
is hearing is adjourned [Music] this time he would leave the courthouse not in a prison van but in a black sedan
00:39:33
when I first met you I asked you to identify yourself my name is Lamar Johnson I've been in
00:39:40
prison for 26 years now and if I asked you to identify Lamar Johnson right now what would you say I am a free man an
00:39:50
exonerated man and a blessed man and how important was it to have Greg elking take the stand and and tell the
00:40:00
judge what he had done at trial that was very important he intentionally you know falsely identified me
00:40:08
but not only did he acknowledge that he made a mistake he took steps to try to correct it and
00:40:16
I'm extremely grateful to him for that and during that time he's been in prison he says he never forgot about his friend
00:40:26
Marcus Boyd who died that night I didn't want Marcus's family thinking that I did this to him because I
00:40:33
generally cared about Marcus Marcus was a good guy in the meantime Johnson is starting over
00:40:41
his friend Ricky Kidd knows it won't be easy it's gonna be tough but Lamar has the ability to adapt and
00:40:51
adjust and see new opportunities work 30 years for the Department of Corrections
00:40:57
for paintings I don't have anything I hope somebody's willing to to to to give me a shot I want to work
00:41:05
you have a date coming up an important date my youngest daughter is getting married
00:41:11
and you know it'd be nice if I could do something special or nice for them but presence matters more than presence
00:41:22
and I'm going to make the best of the life I have [Music] a couple disappears we're in a million
00:41:40
different directions trying to find her in him a lot of people trusted him with a lot of money he told me that he was
00:41:46
adopted by Ronald Reagan's son who is the man last seen with Diana duvet 48 hours Saturday on CBS and streaming on
00:41:55
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