Man wrongly convicted of murder starts new job after 28 years behind bars

DELLWOOD, Mo. ( KTVI ) – Dellwood Mayor Reggie Jones needed a new public works employee, so he turned to the Save Our Sons and Sisters program at the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis for help.

“I knew they have a good reputation of training individuals getting ready for the workforce,” Jones said. He had two sons who completed the program.

That’s how Lamar Johnson, a man who spent 28 years behind for a murder he did not commit , found his way to the job.

“To see the smile on his face when he came in to let us know that he had the offer was great,” said Tydrell Stevens, the program’s regional director.

Johnson was arrested and charged in the Oct. 30, 1994, killing of Marcus Boyd over a $40 drug debt. Boyd was 25.

Johnson was found guilty in July 1995, and in September of that year, he was given a sentence of life in prison without the chance of parole. From his cell at the Jefferson City Correctional Center, Johnson maintained that he was not involved in the killing.

His case gained national attention after the circuit attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit published a report in 2019 outlining the claims for Johnson’s innocence. However, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office long maintained that Johnson’s conviction was fair.

During a five-day hearing in 2023, the lead detective in the case said that there was no physical proof that Johnson was involved in the murder. In addition, the only person to identify Johnson as the murderer recanted his testimony .

Since Johnson’s conviction, two other men have come forward, admitting to Boyd’s murder.

Johnson’s new job offer came from the City of Dellwood to fill a vacant position in the city’s public works department. The mayor can’t imagine the toll Johnson’s wrongful conviction took.

“It must have a mental weight on him, but you can’t tell,” Jones said. “I just admire his tenacity to just want to come back in his community and make something of himself.”

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