Judge Vacates Conviction of Man Imprisoned Nearly 3 Decades

Lamar Johnson (C) and his attorneys react after St. Louis Circuit Judge David Mason vacated his murder conviction during a hearing in St. Louis on Feb. 14, 2023. Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP, Pool

ST. LOUIS—A Missouri judge on Tuesday overturned the conviction of a man who has served nearly 28 years of a life sentence for a killing that he has always said he didn’t commit.

Lamar Johnson, 50, closed his eyes and shook his head slightly as a member of his legal team patted him on the back when Circuit Judge David Mason issued his ruling. In coming to his decision, Mason explained that there had to be “reliable evidence of actual innocence—evidence so reliable that it actually passes the standard of clear and convincing.”