Socialites, get your tissues because this one is a real tearjerker. Lamar Johnson, the Missouri man who was wrongfully convicted in 1995 for the 1994 killing of 25-year-old Marcus Boys over a $40 debt has been freed. Circuit Judge Davidson Mason declared Johnson innocent during a court hearing on Tuesday.
In the video that’s widely surfaced on Twitter, Johnson is supported by his legal team as a woman gently pats him on the back before the ruling was made, prompting people in the courtroom to cheer in delight (and presumably relief). At the time of his murder trial, Johnson said he couldn’t have committed the murder since he was miles away from where the crime took place. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in October 1994.
Lamar Johnson is finally free, after spending more than half of his life in prison for a murder that two other men said they committed.
“I’m looking forward to making the best use of the time that we have left,” he told @EFMoriarty in October. pic.twitter.com/KRgKLURzRF
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) February 15, 2023
However, after years of trying, Johnson was able to have St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner file a motion last summer seeking his release after an extensive investigation her office conducted proved that the 50-year-old never committed the murder. “Mr. Lamar Johnson. Thank you. You’re free,” Garner told Johnson after the ruling. “This is Valentine’s Day and this is historical.”
Back in December, Johnson had sought exoneration based on the evidence found during the extensive investigation, where it was also discovered that two people had previously confessed to the murder, making it that much harder to comprehend why he was still behind bars.
The only witness who testified in the murder trial also claimed to have retracted their statement on having seen Johnson and another man named Phil Campbell at the crime scene on the night of the shooting.
It never gets old watching a free man walk away from an unjust conviction. Here is #LamarJohnson as he prepares to meet the media … pic.twitter.com/hjv4zJFXyw
— Tony Messenger (@tonymess) February 14, 2023
In an interview with KMOV-TV, Lamar said he was remaining confident that the court would see he didn’t commit the crime he was found guilty of. “I believe in God. I believe that he had a purpose for me other than to spend the rest of my life in prison,” he said. “I think you can lie, you can deny, you can hide the truth, but eventually it’s going to find a way. … I’m comforted in that.”