A US man who spent nearly 28 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, has had his conviction overturned in Missouri. Lamar Johnson, 50, walked out of the St. Louis courtroom free after a ruling by Judge David Mason on Tuesday.
The judge stated that he acted after two witnesses gave “clear and convincing evidence” that Mr Johnson was innocent. He was convicted of murdering Marcus Boyd in 1994.
As the verdict was announced, Mr Lamar Johnson’s supporters began cheering and applauding.
“This is overwhelming,” said Mr Johnson, after leaving the courtroom.
Last year, according to BBC, Attorney Kim Gardner had filed a motion seeking the release of Mr Johnson after conducting an investigation together with the Innocence Project non-profit legal organisation.
Following Tuesday’s hearing, Mr Johnson’s legal team criticised the office of the state attorney general which had pushed to keep him in prison.
The office “never stopped claiming Lamar was guilty and was comfortable to have him languish and die in prison,” Mr Johnson’s attorneys said in a statement.
A spokesperson for the attorney general said in an email that the office will take no further action in the case.
“Our office defended the rule of law and worked to uphold the original verdict that a jury of Johnson’s peers deemed to be appropriate based on the facts presented at trial,” the statement said.
Marcus Boyd was shot dead on Mr Johnson’s front porch in October 1994 by two masked men.
Lamar Johnson has stated repeatedly that he was not at home when the attack occurred.
Judge Mason issued his decision after one witness recanted his testimony and a convict admitted to shooting Boyd with another suspect, Phil Campbell.
During the initial trial, Campbell pleaded guilty to a lesser offense and was sentenced to seven years in jail.