Mo. vacates man’s murder conviction

ST. LOUIS— A Missouri judge on Tuesday overturned the conviction of a man who has served nearly 28 years of a life sentence for a murder that he has always said he didn’t commit.

Lamar Johnson, 50, closed his eyes and shook his head slightly as a member of his legal team patted him on the back when Circuit Judge David Mason issued his ruling. In coming to his decision, Mason explained that there had to be “reliable evidence of actual innocence — evidence so reliable that it actually passes the standard of clear and convincing.”

Johnson walked free after he was processed out at the courthouse. Beaming, he walked up to reporters in the courthouse lobby and thanked everyone who worked on his case, as well as the judge.

“This is unbelievable,” said Johnson, who didn’t take any questions.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, who filed a motion in August seeking Johnson’s release after an investigation her office conducted with help from the Innocence Project convinced her he was telling the truth, applauded the ruling.

“Mr. Lamar Johnson, thank you,” she said before the gathered press. “You’re free.”

The state attorney general’s office fought to keep Johnson locked up. A spokeswoman for the office, Madeline Sieren, said in an e-mail that the office will take no further action in the case. She defended the office’s push to keep Johnson behind bars.

Johnson plans to reconnect with his family and enjoy experiences he was denied for most of his adult life while locked up, his lawyers said.

Johnson was convicted of murder for the 1994 killing of Marcus Boyd, who was shot to death on his front porch by two masked men. Police and prosecutors blamed the killing on a dispute over drug money. Johnson maintained his innocence from the outset, saying he was with his girlfriend miles away when the crime occurred.