Who is Lamar Johnson? Missouri man seeks exoneration after serving 27 years for murder 2 others committed
ST, LOUIS, MISSOURI: A Missouri man, who has spent almost three decades in jail for a murder that two other people subsequently confessed to committing, will have his conviction reviewed at a hearing started on Monday, December 12, 2022. Kim Gardner, a St Louis Circuit attorney, is supporting Lamar Johnson's plea to have his conviction overturned since he has long maintained his innocence. The Missouri attorney general's office, on the other hand, is certain that Johnson should remain in jail because his 1994 murder of Marcus Boyd, 25, was properly prosecuted and the conviction was valid.
After being found guilty of murdering Boyd in 1995 on his front porch over a $40 drug debt, Johnson was given a life sentence. James Gregory Elking, a companion of Boyd, fled the scene. Another man named Phil Campbell accepted a lesser charge in return for a seven-year prison sentence, according to a report by WFIN.
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Johnson said that when Boyd was murdered, he was miles away with his girlfriend. Years later, the sole witness for the state changed his mind and said that Johnson and Campbell were the shooters. Since then, two other men have come forward and denied involvement with Johnson.
Howard is currently serving a life term for an unrelated murder and over a dozen additional offenses from an incident in 1997, while Campbell is now deceased. As he gave his testimony on Monday, December 12, Howard was in handcuffs and an orange prison uniform, per reports from Audacy.
“How did Marcus die?” Johnson’s attorney Jonathan Potts asked. “Me and Phillip Campbell killed him on his front porch,” Howard answered. Boyd was killed when Howard, 46, was just a 17-year-old teenager. He claimed that because Boyd owed another friend money for drugs, he and Campbell decided to go to his residence and rob him. He said they discovered Boyd and another man on the front porch after donning dark clothing and black ski masks. Boyd was allegedly seized by Howard. Campbell stepped in to break up their struggle. Howard claimed that while Howard shot Boyd in the back of the head and neck, Campbell shot him in the side. Elking, the witness, was not shot, according to him, because they didn't believe he could identify them.
“Was Lamar Johnson there?” Potts asked. “No,” Howard answered. He claimed that in 2002, he decided to confess to the crime and work toward Johnson's release. “I was trying to right my wrongs that I had done him,” Howard said.
Assistant Missouri Attorney General Miranda Loesch identified contradictions in Howard's account of the events during cross-examination. According to affidavits Howard signed, he and Campbell returned to Howard's residence after the murder, and Campbell stayed there for three days.
Campbell reportedly left the house the night of the murder, according to Howard. Howard also acknowledged that his affidavit misrepresented the path the men traveled to reach Boyd's residence. It's been 28 years, Howard claimed, so he can't recall every little thing. “What I can tell you is I shot him,” he said.
Elking claimed that two armed men wearing black masks approached him when he was trying to acquire crack cocaine at Boyd's house. He observed both shooters killing Boyd before they fled. To view suspect lineups, Elking was summoned. He claimed Detective Joseph Nickerson told him, "I know you know who it is," and pleaded with him to "help get these guys off the street," when he was still unable to identify anyone.
Elking said that he would identify the shooters if investigators would reveal their top suspects because he felt "bullied" and wanted to aid the authorities. “I hate it, and I’ve been living with it for 30, 28 years. I just wish I could change time,” Elking said, trying to hold back tears.
Along with prosecutor corruption, hidden payments to Elking, fabricated police reports, and sworn testimony, Gardner's inquiry, conducted in partnership with the Midwest Innocence Project, also included these allegations.
The hearing is being presided over by St Louis Circuit Judge David Mason and is anticipated to go on all week. On Monday, December 12, Johnson appeared in court wearing a blue shirt, a brown tie, and brown slacks. He quietly listened to the testimony while seated next to his counsel.