309. The Innocent Man Who Spent 28 Years in Prison - The Murder of Markus Boyd

You're listening to an Ono Media podcast. Hey everyone, welcome back to the podcast. This is Murder With My Husband. I'm Peyton Moreland. And I'm Garrett Moreland. And he's the husband. And I'm the husband. We have amazing news. If you are listening and heard about the Netflix announcement, but realized that it wasn't available in your country, I have good news. It is most likely now available in your country. Wait, who thinks that? Who's Mr. Worldwide? Is that Pitbull? Yeah. Worldwide. It is worldwide. Say that three times fast. It's worldwide? No, worldwide. Say it three times fast. Worldwide, worldwide, worldwide. Oh, that was good. Like Peyton said, it is available everywhere. Go and check it out. We're extremely excited. I didn't think it would be available everywhere this fast. So we're there. We're on your Netflix. Please go listen. then please go add it to my list. And yeah, that's the big announcement. That's crazy. We just found out today, right before we recorded this. Which I'm so glad because so many people who love to watch weren't able to watch because it wasn't available in their country. But now it is. All right, Garrett, do you have 10 seconds for us today? I've been sitting here for a long time trying to think of my 10 seconds and I can't, I just can't think of anything. So I'll do a vote. What do the people want? Should I buzz my hair or should I let it keep growing out? That's my 10 seconds. I don't. Look, bagels. That's my life right now is bagels, podcast, golf. That's it. That's all I got going right now. Valentine's. What about Valentine's? Yeah. Valentine's was fun. No, it was. We had a great time. Peyton threw a big party. And it was really, really fun. She did a great job planning it. Very proud of her. I didn't know if you wanted to talk about it or not. Oh, no. I was just saying that was kind of fun. Yeah, I was. No, I didn't say anything because I'm saying I didn't know if you. Yeah. It was really fun. If you're new here, I danced on college dance teams. So I had a bunch of my friends from way back then come over and we had a huge Valentine's party. Yeah. So, yeah. We had a really fun Valentine's party. It was like a dinner party and we didn't have to cook or do dishes, which might have been the best part. For anyone that cooks, doing dishes is always the worst part. I'm the dishwasher in the family. So yeah, let's take a vote if you want me to buzz my head or keep the hair growing. That's all I got. It's been bugging me and I can't decide. And on that note, I think we have a pretty good episode. So let's get right. into this week's episode. Our sources for this episode are pbs.org, stlpr.org, bbc.com, innocenceproject.org, lathroegpm.com, felony murder elimination project, gofundme.com, people.com, oxygen, ksdk.com, kansascity.com, thecinemaholic.com, spectrumlocalnew.com, injusticewatch.org, Colorado Law, and CBS News. Cinemaholic? Cinemaholic. Ah, okay. Yeah, we're talking about cinnamon today. I'm really hungry. I haven't eaten anything all day. I thought we were going to talk about cinnamon rolls or something. Yeah. Our biggest reason for doing this show is to honor victims of senseless tragedies, to make sure their stories are told respectfully and that their memories are not forgotten. But the truth is, when a violent crime is committed, there are many more victims beyond the deceased. there's the families and friends who lost their loved one witnesses who are left replaying the awful scene over and over and suffering the effects of that psychological harm and then sometimes there's a rare victim in these cases and it's those who were wrongfully convicted innocent people who spend years or even their entire lives in prison for a crime they did not commit. It's like taking a tragedy and then adding a tragedy on top of it. So today I am going to share a story with you that has not one but two victims. It's like right when you think true crime can't get worse, it gets worse. So today we are dialing back the clock to 1994 and traveling to St. Louis, Missouri to meet a man named Marcus Boyd. Marcus was 25 years old, and his life really was just getting started. He had recently moved in with his girlfriend, Leslie Williamson, and the two actually had a baby together, a little infant daughter. And Marcus was doing everything he could at 25 to give his little family the best life possible. He had been working at a printing company where his co-workers said he was really well-liked and respected. Marcus was always seen as a hard worker while bringing some levity to the job, which is how he had made so many friends there. But the printing job wasn't exactly enough to make ends meet for Marcus. With a girlfriend and a baby to provide for, he needed another small job on the side to earn extra cash to pay the bills. And already working a full-time job, he turned to selling drugs, specifically crack cocaine, on the side. Now, one of Marcus's colleagues at the print store, a 30-year-old guy named James Gregory Elking, or Greg, was actually a usual customer of Marcus's. So they're colleagues and work together at the print store, but then Marcus also sells drugs to Greg. Now, Greg and Marcus had grown close at work. Greg said Marcus had a heart of gold and genuinely was selling drugs because he wanted to build a better future for his family. That was his sole reason for even getting into this business. And that might be why Greg even felt comfortable buying his drugs from Marcus. So on the night of October 30th, 1994, Greg swung by Marcus's house in the evening to make a purchase. Only he didn't have enough money with him, so Marcus turned him down. Plus, they both had work in the morning. Drugs were the last thing either of them needed on this Sunday night. So instead, the two just hung out on Marcus's porch for a bit while Leslie and Marcus's daughter were upstairs. So this October night, it was around 9 p.m. 1994. The two were cracking jokes and having a few laughs when suddenly Greg saw the smile on Marcus's face turn to pure fear. that's when greg turned around to see that there were two masked men coming out of the darkness walking up to marcus's house both of them had on dark clothing and their masks revealed nothing but their eyes the men were racing up the steps and one of them immediately tackled marcus and it became a violent scuffle before anyone knew it the same attacker pulled out a gun and fired three shots at marcus greg said the flash was so bright it lit up the guy's faces but even then he couldn't make out much more other than them being black males so greg is sitting here marcus has just been shot three times by these random men who came up and attacked them yeah they turn around after shooting Marcus and dart back into the night, leaving Greg basically unharmed. Okay. And Greg, who had his own criminal history and literally was there to buy drugs, also chose to run off into the night not wanting to get caught up in anything he shouldn't be. Leslie, obviously the girlfriend, heard the gunfire from inside and had called the police. And around 9.07 p.m., First responders arrived to find Marcus severely injured. Now, some sources say he was already dead, while others say he was then rushed to a hospital and died from his injuries later that night. Oh, so he's dead. Either way, he is dead. But that night, Marcus left behind his wife, his young daughter, and an intense miscarriage of justice was about to follow. You know, it's so interesting. I think I've mentioned it before. I mean, I know I've mentioned it before how some people can get shot like five, six, seven times and they're fine. And then someone will get shot once. I mean, obviously it's about where you got shot, but it's just so it's crazy. It's just it's so interesting, right? If it hits like a major artery or something or if it just goes through and through whatever it is. Yeah. So right away, it seemed clear to police that this shooting was a dispute over drug money. But they learned something else when they spoke to Marcus's heartbroken girlfriend, Leslie. She actually suspected one of the men to be Marcus's old friend, someone else who had been selling drugs and may have actually introduced Marcus into the game. Was a guy named Lamar Johnson, who she thought Marcus had had a recent fight with, but she couldn't be sure. And sometimes I think in these cases, you know, someone brings up a suspect and you feel like someone's, are they immediately throwing someone else under the bus? We have to remember police, the first thing they're going to ask Leslie is, does your boyfriend have any enemies? Who would have done this? And so she's going to be racking her brain for, was he fighting with anyone recently? Did he have bad blood? It's going to be so hard too, because they're going to be like, oh, he was selling drugs. They're going to be like, oh, okay. Right. The attention to it is going to shift immediately. Right. Which, I mean, it's hard. I mean, I understand. I get both sides. Yeah. So she's like, hey, I think it might be this Lamar guy. She told police that their best bet at finding someone was actually through Marcus's co-worker, Greg Elking, who she knew was at the house with Marcus and had obviously run away before the police could arrive. and as the sole witness to the crime, police knew they needed to talk to him. It took police four days to get Greg down to the station, and while he was terrified and reluctant to talk, he knew that he was probably the only chance at bringing Marcus justice, so he decided to come forward and speak. He told police he didn't get a good look at either of the two assailants since they were fully covered aside from their eyes, but he did notice they were both dark-skinned men. So the police show him some photos and Greg said, I just don't think any of these guys are right. But the detectives questioning him kept applying pressure, saying things like, I know you know who it is. And then they show him a photo of the person Leslie named, Lamar Johnson. I'm not sure if Greg had ever met Lamar before, because obviously Greg and Lamar are both friends of Marcus, the victim. It seems like he didn't have any idea who Lamar was, but the detective kept encouraging Greg, saying things like, I need your help getting these guys off the street. And then Greg hesitates The officer pushes a bit harder telling Greg your life is at risk Like whoever did this knows you a witness You could be next They also tell him that Lamar Johnson this suspect they showing him a photo of like hey you know him They tell him that he is involved in six other murders before Marcus. So they're pretty sure it's him. Well, the thing is. Or are they just saying this? None of that was true. Okay. Okay. Lamar had not been tied to any other murders. They were just trying to get him to talk. Yes. Yes. Okay. But they needed Greg to sign the back of Lamar's photo to make the idea official as one of the men he saw. And Greg still refuses. He's like, listen, I am not confident enough that that is one of the guys who was there. Good for Greg, because most people would have done it. Especially if you've been there for hours. You could be easily a suspect. Like if not Lamar, then you. So the only thing Greg would say was that the eyes of the men who shot Marcus looked slightly similar to Lamar's, maybe a lazy eye, but there's no guarantee. Dang. If I ever commit a crime, they're going to describe me as having a lazy eye. That sucks. In the sketch? In the sketch, yeah. That sucks. Yeah, but also they're going to say he's a luscious lion. Thank you. Thank you, babe. Thank you. So apparently that was enough for the police to make their move on Lamar Johnson anyway, signature on the photo or not, because that same day, November 3rd, police pulled Lamar Johnson over. He was in the car with his friend, Philip Campbell, and both were brought to the station for questioning. Now, imagine being this friend who's just randomly in the car when he gets pulled over, and now you are basically the second suspect. I want to talk about Lamar for a second. I just want to give you a bit of his backstory because it's not unlike Marcus's. Lamar was just a 20-year-old father of two young girls as well who was still dating his high school girlfriend, Erica Barrow. And for growing up in the South Side neighborhood of St. Louis, a place that had really high crime and homicide rates, Lamar kind of stayed out of trouble for most of his life. the only things on his record by 1994 were a possession charge for cocaine and tampering with a license plate so this year he is working at jiffy lube and like marcus it just wasn't enough to make ends meet for his girlfriend his two kids so he started selling drugs on the side as well and lamar knew this was just a means to an end according to him it was a temporary fix until he could find a better way to make more money. Because at the same time as all of this, he was also going to a community college to get a degree. This is interesting. I think I might know where this is going, but I'm not sure yet. So he really was working towards a better future, and he knew that selling drugs was a dangerous and poor choice, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Still, when Lamar was picked up by the police on November 3rd and brought in for questioning, he honestly didn't seem too worried. He knew his hands were clean, so much so that he didn't even ask for a lawyer. He told his girlfriend, Erica, that he didn't want to pay for a lawyer or ask his parents for help because he had nothing to hide. Instead, Lamar was as cooperative as possible with the police. He answered any and all questions they had. he told him that despite what Leslie believed, he and Marcus had never been in a fight, that the two were close friends, he loved him like a brother, and he was devastated when he had heard the news about Marcus's death a few nights back, and he honestly still was. He said he had no reason to hurt Marcus, no motive whatsoever, even more convincing. Lamar had an alibi. He was at home during the time of Marcus's shooting with his girlfriend, Erica. And the only time he went outside that night was for a few minutes when he went to a street corner a few blocks away to sell drugs. He was gone for a total of five minutes, not enough time to get to Marcus's home, miles away, shoot him and make it back. Not to mention he came in without a drop of blood on him. Erica also confirmed this statement saying she was inside changing their five-month-old daughter's diaper. And she said, quote, by the time I'd finished changing her diaper and cleaning everything up, he was walking back up the steps. But when I say she confirmed that statement, I don't mean to the police. The police never asked Erica, never questioned her about her boyfriend's alibi. This is going to be wild if he goes to prison. this is what she tells reporters this is going to be wild instead they put lamar and philip the friend who happened to be in the car in prison when he got pulled over into a photo lineup okay which lamar does willingly and then they bring greg elking the man who was there that night back in to take a look at that lineup and again greg couldn't pick anyone out dude what is wrong with these detectives. This is crazy. But Greg said he felt like he was going to get in trouble with the police if he didn't comply. So eventually he said to the detective, you tell me what the numbers are and I'll tell you if they're correct. And so the detectives are like guy number three and four. And Greg's like, yep, okay, you're right. Those are the suspects. Number three and four. Oh my gosh. Okay. Greg said he went with it because he trusted the police wouldn't lead him astray. that they must have a pretty good reason for bringing these guys in, and he didn't want to take the fall for it, so he finally agreed to sign off on it. And with that, Lamar Johnson and Philip Campbell were charged with first-degree murder. I think it's pretty safe to say we have minorities, drug dealers, and murder, and the police quickly ran with it. They were like, yep, these are our guys without any evidence. I mean, outside of Greg's ID, which he didn't even make, by the way, he just told police yes to the numbers that they told him. There's really no evidence for the prosecution to present in court. They need to bolster their case if they want to get a conviction. And they seem to find an opportunity in a jailhouse informant named William Mock, which is like we just have the most stereotypical wrongful conviction on our hands. Yeah. No evidence, no good detective work. And now a jailhouse informant being the number one piece of evidence. This is crazy. This is wild. It's so interesting because I am pretty pro when it comes to the death penalty or being harsh with convictions and penalties. But I'm also so against and just not okay with how the justice system does when it comes to wrongful convictions. because I will dare say, and there's times where it's not, but I would dare say that majority of the times it's so obvious that this is a wrongful conviction. And maybe not. Maybe it's because you're telling me this case afterwards. But I still feel like if I was a jury right now, I'd be like, I don't know about this. I mean, I think it's safe to say that in the 90s, which this was way back in the 90s, being black, dealing drugs, and being somewhat tied to a victim. Illegal activities or whatever. This happened so much. Like police closing cases using this specific type. And it's just like, now looking back, we're like, okay, jailhouse. Like we see all the signs, but it's like back then, were people also seeing the signs? Like why was this happening so often? Obviously they were convincing the juries by lying to them. it's just so this jailhouse informant william william was in a holding cell two cells down from lamar johnson and philip campbell while they were in custody and he claimed that he overheard the two of them having a conversation about the crime they committed oh my gosh them saying something like quote we should have shot that white boy supposedly they're referring to greg which might I add I feel like Greg should have been a stronger suspect in this but we kind of know the reason why maybe he wasn't immediately looked at in the 90s and they just believed him at his word that this is what happened but there's a lot of problems with William's statement outside of the fact that he was two cells away and likely couldn't hear a thing Lamar and Philip were saying 34-year-old William had made plenty of racist remarks against Black people. He had a swastika tattoo, plus an ex-girlfriend of his claimed he was part of a white supremacist gang, basically. So at the time, William was being held for breaking into a church van and violating his parole for another crime. And in the past, he had been asked to snitch to get his charges reduced from prison time to parole. So he knew exactly what he was doing when he went to his jailers and said, hey, I heard these two talking. I want to strike another deal. And this time he claimed he had information about Lamar and Philip. And that's when William told the police he overheard them coming up with an alibi with another person in the jail named Lamont. Now, a day later, he told police he heard them saying something like, be sure to tell my mother to tell the police that I was with them when this went down. Huh, this is really interesting. Okay. So William is basically saying, hey, they were trying to come up with an alibi. But there was a huge problem even outside of William's horrible reputation. This Lamont person does not exist. After reading the jail logs, people couldn't find a single person who went by that name or even nickname. And yet they cut William a deal if he agreed to testify against Lamar and Philip in court. They promised to write him a letter to the parole board on his behalf. Which is interesting because jail informants and informants in general are, as far as I'm aware, like they're just not very trustworthy these days. Like they don't really, pulling them up in front of someone to testify is crazy. That's so crazy. I'm actually, you just read my next part. So I'm just going to add in some actual statistics and data behind what you just said. Jailhouse informants, it's a pretty big issue on how they are used. Like Eric just said, We know snitching can often provide a lot of perks for someone on the wrong side of the law. I found one stat. According to the National Registry of Exonerations, between 1989 and 2024, there have been 241 wrongful convictions related to jailhouse informants' false testimony. That's insane. That's insane. So again, I mean, this is 1989 to 2024, but 241 wrongful convictions relied on jailhouse informants. This was obviously a common practice and an inappropriate one. That's 241 victims, 241 people who were put in jail due to the testimony of convicted felons. I mean, it's obviously just let that sink in. But Lamar Johnson was a hopeful guy. He knew he was innocent. So when his trial rolled around in July of 1995, he's like, the jury's got to see this too, right? Like they have nothing on us especially because one of the key witnesses against him was a man he had never even met before William William told the jury during the trial he heard Lamar talking to a Lamont about the crimes Again, Lamont does not exist. William also said that they talked about another murder on the south side of St. Louis. But when police had actually compared the statement to other cases, they couldn't find a single case that matched what William was saying they were describing. So all to say, the only thing William is, was he happened to be next to these guys. He's a liar. Everything he's saying does not match up. So not only is he a jailhouse informant, everything he's saying has no evidence behind it. Didn't stop the prosecution from putting him up. And I also want to say the jury didn't get to hear a lot about this or William's criminal background or his history of racist and violent offenses. The fact that officials were submitting a letter to the parole board on his behalf for testifying. They get to hear none of this. This is crazy. The jury has no idea about any of that at trial. At least William wasn't the only one to take the stand in Lamar's trial. Lamar's girlfriend, Erica, also spoke about how Lamar was home with her that night. And yes, he did leave, but it wasn't nearly enough time for him to have made the drive to Marcus's and to kill him and get back. A detective, however, got on the stand to dispute those claims, saying the whole thing could have been done in a matter of minutes. Though he never once actually went out and timed himself making the drive to even see if it's possible. She doesn't even have evidence backing the statement. He's just getting up there saying... I also don't know who I'm more disappointed... I mean, I'm disappointed with everyone right now, but if the jury seriously finds him guilty, what a horrible jury, too. I mean, they don't know about Williams, but they do. They can clearly see right now that, like, the detective is saying this. And I don't know if the defense just wasn't saying you have no evidence. Prove it. I don't know if he had just a crappy defense team as well. Or the jury was also just stupid and just, like, wasn't thinking out of the box. But back then, were we as skeptical about what we were hearing? Maybe not. You're trusting the courts. I'm still annoyed. Send me the names. Who was in the jury? So after two hours of deliberating, the two hours, by the way, for first degree murder. Oh, I also do want to say that Greg Elking also took the stand. And he stuck with this story he gave investigators. He saw Lamar and Philip in the lineup and said those were the guys. So he does get on stand and ID them. Greg does. Hmm. Okay. Which that is pretty. That's interesting. I mean, for a witness to say that he got up there and picked out two guys when that's not really what happened. But that's what he said. Two hours after deliberating, the jury sides with the prosecution. They found Lamar Johnson guilty of first degree murder. He was told to return in a few months for his sentencing. But before that day could come, Lamar Johnson received a letter. It was written by his friend, the guy that he was arrested and charged with, Philip. Now, in this handwritten note, Philip said, hey, I know that you didn't do this. And I feel bad. And this is why I'm writing you a letter. I know you didn't do it because I was actually there. The guy, yes, who was also charged, who just happened to be in the car. Got it. Yes. Now, remember, this is a circle of guys who all run around together. So it's not that shocking that maybe Philip knew Marcus and could have been there. But the fact that he's writing a letter being like, I actually know you're innocent because I was actually there. Like, I'm actually involved. He said it was me and another guy named James B.A. Howard. Why would he say that? Why would he write that letter? Because he felt bad. Okay. I mean, he felt bad. He was like, it just surprises me. Lamar, I'm actually guilty of being here and doing this with another man named James. Phillips said Marcus owed James money. And what I read, it was less than $40. So they were there to try and get the $40. But then when Marcus started fighting back and it turned into like a violent struggle, apparently James panicked and shot Marcus. But Phillips, his lawyer, wouldn't let him come forward with the information before Lamar's trial because he was like, Philip, you can probably still beat the charges if the prosecution paints this on Lamar and he gets convicted. So don't come forward because Lamar getting convicted can mean that you don't, even though you're willingly saying to me and to people around you, not the cops, that you did this. Another problem I have with attorneys, man. Right? They're like not basing it off the truth. They're basing off of getting their client off. Yeah, criminal defense attorneys. and I know we have some listening, but look, I would dare say this. And if you're offended by this, write me a DM. I'm happy to talk to you. I would dare say criminal defense attorneys have some of the worst morals. That's my hot take. I'm sorry. That's my hot take. I think it takes a certain type of person to be able to do that job because there are defense attorneys. I will state this with my whole chest. there are defense attorneys who 100% know their client is guilty. And they don't recuse themselves and say, I can't represent him because I know he's guilty, which they are supposed to do. It happens all the time. It's not a secret. It happens all the time. It's more a little game to them of trying to get people off. That's their job. And so they, you know, bend the rules and justify it and get people off. I don't know. I mean, Philip obviously is feeling guilt because he wrote a letter to Lamar in prison saying, I know you're innocent. I think Philip should have done the right thing. But also, how do you look at someone and say, you actually should have gone to prison or like came forward and said you did it just so Lamar didn't, even though your lawyer at the time and your attorney is advising you against that? Yeah, it's just hard. Also, I got to add to this. I know there's also criminal defense attorneys that defend people who aren't guilty. We've had cases where they recuse themselves. So I don't know if I necessarily mean all criminal defense attorneys. I just mean the ones that. This attorney? There's some bad apples out there. I'll just say that. Isn't there any. Yeah, I get it. But I do understand what you're saying. It's just frustrating. When someone's so obviously guilty and they. Yeah. So this is huge because Lamar now has in writing a confession from someone else who was there and a part of it now clearing his name. So Lamar writes the judge and says, hey, I actually just had the real people come forward. Please, can I get a new hearing? And his request was denied. Really? In September of 1995, Lamar returned to the courtroom for his sentencing. He was given life in prison without the possibility of parole. What the freak? He is in his 20s with a young kid. That is insane. As for Philip, he actually pleads guilty and receives a shorter sentence of seven years behind bars. So it does work out for him. Lamar takes the fall. He gets a shorter sentence. And my feeling on this is that they actually had probably more evidence on Philip, which is why they even added him in, even though he was the random guy who was pulled over. They probably actually had ties to this thing. And so it was easier to charge him, but they still, they pulled over Lamar, not Phillips. So they were going to pin it on him because how then do you turn around and be like, actually, we're wrong. I mean, you do because you're a good person, but when you have ego in the way, happens all the time. So he bleeds guilty. And then James Howard, who was 17, he was a minor when he killed Marcus. He was never charged with it, even though it was like common knowledge that he had been pointed to as the guy who did this. I will say he's convicted three years later of another murder and sentenced to life in prison for that. This is ridiculous. Okay. Okay. So eventually time goes on and Philip, who's going to serve as seven years and get out. and then James, who's already in prison, life in prison, decide to sign sworn affidavits confessing to killing Marcus to try and get Lamar out of prison. So these guys are feeling guilty. They're like, we're going to actually sign sworn statements for Lamar in his defense, in his appeals to try to get him out. And it doesn't change a thing for Lamar. I don't understand. I do not understand. He says goodbye to his two young daughters. And that also meant saying goodbye to Erica, the mother of his children. But it was because of his family. Lamar didn't give up. He knew the truth. It was written in black and white. He felt one day, one day someone will see this. So behind bars, Lamar begins studying the law. He sifted through police reports, trial transcripts, and he began searching for more evidence to prove his innocence. which you 100% have the right to do. Any convict is able to request their records, their trial, everything, and billed for their petitions or appeals. In 1996, two years later, he filed for a new trial. His petition is denied. In 1998, he met another inmate in a similar situation. The person was working with the Midwest Innocence Project to get their case a second look. And in the early 2000s, this inmate introduced Lamar to his contacts at the innocence project. They began looking into Lamar's case and they're like, uh, what they also realized that Greg Elking, the guy who was the witness who said this whole story, um, was now in prison for a bank robbery and had admitted and had openly admitted to many people that he had lied at Lamar's trial. So he's telling people the real story. I actually was not confident, but I got up there and lied. He said I was pressured into naming Lamar in that photo lineup at law enforcement. This is black and white at this point. And then he comes out with new information later on in 2003. It's crazy. When the Innocence Project is looking into Lamar's case, they discovered that Greg Elking has told people law enforcement paid off his debts. Oh, my gosh. They cleared the traffic warrants in his name and they put him in witness protection program and he was given $4,000 after the trial. And then he robbed the bank. All of this was documented in a letter Greg had sent to his pastor out of guilt. Now, of course, none of this is mentioned during Lamar's trial, but when the Innocence Project dug into it, they found it was true. This alone should have been enough to get Lamar a new trial. So in 2018, this is so many years later. I'm so frustrated. That's horrible. And it's like so, I mean, and the Innocence Project does this time and time again, turning up wrongful convictions. The Innocence Project teams up with a St. Louis circuit attorney named Kimberly Gardner. she just created a new division called the conviction integrity unit who their whole job was to look at cases exactly like this which is kind of cool right i mean it's a it's a circuit attorney who like no there has been wrongful convictions in the past obviously this is an issue this is an epidemic She creates this division And Lamar was the perfect candidate So the Innocence Project is like hey please look at this case So with the help of the Innocence Project, Gardner began reinvestigating a lot of the claims that were made during Lamar's trial, including the distance and timing from his house to Marcus's. When they made the drive, they found it was 13 minutes one way, the quickest route possible. double that plus add some time to park run up get in a scuffle and murder someone that's a half hour and she said it took her five minutes to change a diaper yeah he left and came back in the time she was changing a diaper dude honestly here's what needs to happen the corrupt detectives who did this need to go to jail for the rest for however long lamar served and you know yeah that's the only way to fix this i am passionate about this and Garrett knows this, but there was a case in my hometown. Yes. Very identical to this. A young person was put in prison for life for a crime he didn't commit. It was very shady police work. It was very intense interrogation. There was no evidence. And then years later, the Innocence Project gets involved, comes out that there is evidence, physical DNA evidence that didn't match him. They knew this from the beginning. They knew it didn't match him, but they said he had an accomplice it matches the creepy guy next door so he gets out they arrest the creepy guy next door but this is 20 something years after he spent in prison and the cops who arrested him come forward and say we're actually not going to say sorry because we still stand 10 toes down that the guy next door was the unknown accomplice that we were thinking of yeah and sorry we're kind of rambling i'm not i'm not i'm not even biased as well like i'm pretty like the tech just have a hard job like stuff's crazy but like i just said earlier there's good people and there's bad people and there's some bad apples and these were some bad apples well and like you're messing with someone's life yeah this is not you know what i mean not games this isn't a game yeah it's just crazy so this is what the innocence comes up with the innocence project they have the evidence that the timeline doesn't add up to Erica's testimony. They have a signed statement from Greg Elking recanting his testimony, saying this is everything that was happened. It was completely bogus. They have a sworn confession from the two guys who actually commit the murder saying, hey, we did this. He didn't. By this point, Philip Campbell has passed away. I just want to say, but they do have a signed statement from him beforehand because this was years earlier saying that Lamar didn't do this. It's a solid case. Gardner took it to the Missouri Supreme Court in March of 2021, and they deny the request for a new trial. Basically, the attorney general's office said she, quote, lacked the authority to seek a new trial so many years after the case was adjudicated. But this is just so common because there is a reason why cases aren't overturned, even when there's so much evidence. And it's because it opens up a can of worms for the state with other cases being looked at. And they also, the state also knows they're about ready to lose millions and millions of dollars as they should. And support from the people around them, because why the heck are you putting innocent people in prison? So there's a reason they are so hesitant to do it. I'm not justifying it or saying it's, but that's why, but that is why. So that same year, the state of Missouri passed a new law. It allowed prosecutors to petition the court if they themselves wanted to exonerate a prisoner that they felt was wrongly convicted. So a prosecutor's office, not the state, but a prosecutor come forward and say, I'm petitioning this. I like that. That's a good, I like that. In the law, it doesn't matter how long ago. If this person has spent 70 years in prison, they could still petition to get someone out. the timing was extremely helpful and I'm not sure if Gardner had anything to do with this new law passing but either way it's a game changer for Lamar Johnson the following year in 2022 Lamar was finally granted a retrial a retrial in the meantime Gardner and her team keep piecing together their new case which meant disputing a lot of the issues with the first trial including William Mock the jailhouse informant not only did Gardner realize how little the jury was actually told about William, including his criminal background and the fact that he had been a jailhouse informant before, like he had a history of doing this, she found he was getting preferential treatment behind bars before and after testifying. William was given coffee and cigarettes from prosecutors. They would literally visit him after he testified and give him these things. He was moved to a better prison. However, William wasn't able to be called again to the stand because he died back in 2003 at the age of 43 after driving a stolen SUV off a boat ramp and into a Missouri lake. This is your star witness, by the way. But now it's not great because he can't come forward and say I lied. So after 27 years behind bars, Lamar Johnson is back in court in December 12th, 2022. His grown daughters are there every single day. That breaks my heart. He missed their entire life. And they knew from because their mom knew. Their mom knew he was innocent, that he was her alibi or she was his alibi. So basically the judge has three options. Overturn the conviction and grant a new trial. Overturn the conviction and just get rid of a new trial and declare Lamar innocent or uphold the original verdict. This is what this new trial that he has granted is. This is the purpose of it, basically. So the court hears multiple players in the case. Everything I've told you basically is presented at court, including bringing in witnesses. Like Greg gets up there and says, yeah, I lied. Okay. And they let Lamar speak. He takes a stand and speaks and says, I just wanted to be cooperative with police. Like I should have got a lawyer. I didn't know. Poor guy. It takes two months. Like the judge wraps up and says, come back in two months for my verdict, which is just like, yes, it's been 20 something years, but like two more months holding someone who's innocent. It's just so crappy. It's rude. Yeah. February, 50-year-old Lamar returns to the court. The judge gave him the news he'd been waiting to hear. He wasn't granted a retrial. His conviction was overturned. Good. Thank goodness. Lamar Johnson was now a free man. And for the first time in his life. Do you just go out of jail that day? Yeah. Like you're just like, boom, gone. Immediately they release you. That's crazy. And it's so crazy to me when they do this because the judge literally apologizes. like the judge apologizes on behalf of the state it's like in his yeah the way they word it is an apology i mean i so let's did he sue like how much money did he get so lamar um that's that's horrible that's horrible he um he doesn't really know his daughters but he's getting to spend time with his daughters he was actually released just in time for his 28 year old daughter kira's wedding. So he got to walk her down the aisle. There was so much that Lamar had missed. He said in an interview how excited he was just to touch a tree, to go outside for a run, to get a meal. It was the simple pleasures in life that he was looking forward to getting back. Of course, there were some unexpected hurdles. Technology. Lamar had never even used an iPhone or an Apple Watch. It was all brand new to him. But maybe the biggest issue was all the lost time Lamar wasn't going to get back. After decades behind bars, this is according to him, he's like, I'm expected to just go out and rebuild my life, get a job, do this, do that. He gets a bunch of money and he gets to do whatever he wants for the rest of his life. Okay. So some states, and you're going to be shocked, they offer compensation for people whose convictions are vacated. Yes, and the compensation is always trash it's always like 10 grand a year or something just trash that they deserve way more for spending in prison Missouri law states they offer zero compensation for people okay but which that's I mean it's common it's common so then he there's a loophole right um they have to pay someone if they were exonerated with DNA proving their innocence okay so because there was DNA lamar is left with no immediate financial assistance housing assistance money someone has to take his case like yes what's it called well you have to like go all the way up but someone takes your case like um pro bono thank you but and then that's just hoping the lawsuit even turns out some of the times they don't win yeah for sure but a lot of the times i feel like they do if it's obvious like this well and also you're suing but there's a law in place saying they don't owe you compensation. And it also just takes a long time. It's just horrible. So he has no savings account, but luckily his family actually teamed up with the Midwest Innocence Project to launch a GoFundMe. Oh, nice. Which does happen when you, like they'll say, please donate to this person because when they get out of prison, they're going to have to start life. And on July 4th of 2023, Lamar posted thanking everyone for the donations. He said he had since gotten the opportunity to fly an airplane, see the ocean, walk his daughter down the aisle. He also said he was dedicating his time and energy to helping correct more wrongful convictions by raising awareness and working to get his life back on track. In 2024, Lamar's lawyers also helped him file a lawsuit suing the city and the officers. Like Garrett said, he would, but I mean, those take so long. You need immediate money. So in a statement to the press, Lamar summed up his experience saying, quote, I'm grateful to be free I'm doing my best to make up for all of the time that was stolen from me and my family especially my daughters I want to put this dark and painful chapter behind me but there can be no healing without answers and accountability I deserved better and so did Marcus I intend to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else if you want to help more people like Lamar and help bring justice to those who are accountable for violent crimes like those against Marcus you can visit the innocence project.org slash take action. I will note Garrett and I have donated in the past to the innocence project. I do think that they're a very great nonprofit organization. And I think the most devastating part about all of this, and this often happens in wrongful convictions, Marcus's true crime case was then taken over by a wrongful conviction case. and so it just takes true crime and makes it worse because you're now having multiple victims marcus's family now has this tied to the case of like this horrible thing happened and then someone went to prison for it that will that was innocent i was gonna say it kind of um thought really sad it starts to overshadow marcus's death as well because i mean end of the day someone died he was murdered and they that family also lost marcus so it's just like like you said so many people were affected and yeah it's just like it's just devastating it's devastating that this is even a reality but that was the case of marcus boyd and the wrongful conviction of lamar johnson and thank you so much for listening please think about both families as you go out you know go through the day today. And if you want to look into their cases more, there's links everywhere. Also can look into the Innocence Project. But we will see you next time with another one. I love it. And I hate it. Goodbye.