Lamar Johnson's Supporters Hope For A Reprieve After His 24 Years In Prison
Lamar Johnson has been in prison for 24 years. A St. Louis jury found him guilty of murder in 1995 – and he’s been serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole ever since.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner now says prosecutors in her office engaged in serious misconduct. Saying her Conviction Integrity Unit has found new evidence that Johnson is actually innocent, she sought a new trial.
St. Louis Circuit Judge Elizabeth Hogan denied that request. She says Gardner’s motion came “approximately 24 years” past the deadline. Tricia Bushnell, director of the Midwest Innocence Project, isn’t buying it.
Speaking by phone on Thursday’s St. Louis on the Air, she pushed back on the idea that it was too late for justice, or that Johnson had “exhausted” his appeals.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/lamar-johnson-s-supporters-hope-reprieve-after-his-24-years-prison