,
9 tweets,
3 min read
Read on Twitter
Lamar Johnson has been in prison since he was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1995. St Louis prosecutor Kim Gardner filed a motion to vacate his conviction in August, but a judge denied it, saying it was filed 24 years too late. #WrongfulConvictionDay injusticewatch.org/news/2019/judg…
There is overwhelming evidence of Mr. Johnson's innocence. The conviction was obtained because of “a staggering amount of misconduct on the part of homicide detectives and prosecutors.” washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/07…
Given the motion was filed by Kim Gardner, after an investigation by her conviction integrity unit and there is agreement on Mr. Johnson's innocence, this ruling is extraordinary.
The motion was also supported by 43 elected prosecutors across the US. theappeal.org/defending-the-…
The motion was also supported by 43 elected prosecutors across the US. theappeal.org/defending-the-…
Since she was elected, Kim Gardner, as the first Black woman Circuit Attorney in St Louis, has been operating in an extremely hostile political environment, with both the police union and the Missouri governor trying to force her out of office. nytimes.com/2019/06/14/us/…
She's been the target of a sham criminal investigation, where they were literally trying to put her in jail. It's virtually unheard of payback for an elected official trying to hold government and police accountable for corruption and racism. enemiesofreform.com
More recently, the head of the FOP, Jeff Roorda, made a threat of physical violence against Circuit Attorney Gardner, saying she would be removed "by force or by choice."
stltoday.com/news/local/cri…
stltoday.com/news/local/cri…
For a judge now to hold a man who everyone agrees is innocent in prison for political reasons (please read the first article - this is not an unsubstantiated allegation) is outrageous.
Lamar Johnson is not a political pawn.
Lamar Johnson is not a political pawn.
Lamar Johnson has spent 24 years in prison because of corrupt police and prosecutors and now a judge and the Missouri Attorney General and police think they can use him to defeat a Black woman prosecutor.
Kim Gardner is doing something to hold these people accountable and they don't like it. Fight for her, but most important fight for Lamar Johnson.
