ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ

ST. LOUIS — The last time Lamar Johnson was a free man, he was 20 years old. After a Circuit Court judge overturned his murder conviction on Tuesday, he left prison for the first time in nearly three decades.

Now Johnson must start over, but not without the help of family, friends and supporters. His attorneys are fundraising and a campaign for him has generated over $150,000, as of Thursday.

But lawmakers are lobbying for legislation that would compensate others like Johnson.

“We have to restore people back to the place where the wrong has occurred,� said state Rep. LaKeySha Bosley, D-St. Louis. “We’re seeing more released for wrongful convictions, and we shouldn’t send them out to fend for themselves.�

Bosley is continuing to push for legislation to compensate people who have been exonerated and released from incarceration. She sponsored a law, passed in 2019, that doubled the amount of restitution for those exonerated and released from prison from $50 to $100 for every day they were incarcerated.

However, that restitution only applies to those exonerated through DNA evidence. No DNA evidence was used to convict or free Johnson.

22nd Circuit Court Judge David Mason found there was “actual innocence� in Johnson’s case and in his order highlighted a number of constitutional errors from Johnson’s initial 1995 trial.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, is sponsoring House Bill 374 so exonerees like Johnson can receive restitution and compensation from the state.

“Mr. Johnson and other Missourians deemed innocent after serving time deserve nothing less than Missouri’s best efforts to right the wrongs the state has inflicted,� said Quade in a statement.

In addition to money, Bosley said Johnson is owed an apology from the governor, state Attorney General’s Office and others. Marvin Cotton agrees. He’s an exoneree from Michigan, freed after 19 years in prison. He sat in the courtroom during Johnson’s hearing, joined by others, and now works with the

“Justice after a wrongful conviction means access to family, community, therapy and resources. Mr. Lamar Johnson will need a huge hug of love from the community and the resources to back up that embrace,� said Cotton.

Mason granted the St. Louis circuit attorney’s motion to overturn Johnson’s murder conviction based on testimony and evidence presented during a week-long hearing in December. The main witness from Johnson’s original trial testified that after Marcus Boyd was shot and killed in 1994, police bullied him into identifying Johnson. Another man, now incarcerated, testified he committed the murder.

A recent law, inspired by Johnson’s case, allows prosecutors to file motions to overturn murder convictions for those they believe were wrongfully convicted.