A US man who
spent nearly 28 years behind bars for a murder he has always denied committing
has had the conviction overturned in Missouri.
Lamar Johnson,
50, walked out of the St Louis' courtroom a free man after a ruling by Judge
David Mason on Tuesday.
The judge said
he acted after two witnesses had provided "clear and convincing
evidence" that Mr Johnson was innocent.
He had been
convicted of murdering Marcus Boyd in 1994.
Mr Johnson was
visibly moved when the ruling was announced, while his supporters started
cheering and applauding.
"This is
overwhelming," said Mr Johnson, after leaving the courtroom.
Last year,
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 by two masked men on Mr Johnson's front porch in October 1994.
Mr Johnson has
repeatedly said that he was not at home when the attack happened.
Judge Mason
issued his ruling after one witness had recanted his testimony, and an inmate
had confessed that he shot Boyd with another suspect, Phil Campbell.
During the
initial trial, Campbell pleaded guilty to a reduced charge and was sentenced to
seven years in prison
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