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Lamar Johnson, who served nearly 30 years in prison over a wrongful murder conviction, was found guilty in the 1994 shooting death of Marcus Boyd based on the testimony of a sole eyewitness. Johnson's claims of innocence made international headlines after his release in February 2022 after a judge vacated his conviction and he was set free.
Johnson was reportedly found guilty of first-degree murder, which resulted in a life sentence in 1995. He was found guilty even though he had a solid alibi and was miles away from the neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri, where the crime took place.
The eyewitness in question, Greg Elking, claimed that two masked men shot Boyd multiple times on October 30, 1994. He later identified Johnson from a police photo line-up.
CBS 48 Hours is slated to revisit the highly-publicized case in an episode titled Lamar Johnson: Standing in Truth, which will air on the channel on Saturday, April 29, 2023, at 10 pm ET.
Here's the synopsis for the upcoming episode:
"A man gets his life back after spending 28 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. "48 Hours" investigates and is there as Johnson is freed in time to walk his daughter down the aisle."
Five key facts to know about the case against Lamar Johnson and the recent wrongful conviction
1) Johnson was convicted in Marcus Boyd's October 1994 shooting death
Marcus Boyd, 25, was shot multiple times on the porch of his St. Louis, Missouri, apartment by two masked men sometime around 9:00 on October 30, 1994. He was shot in the presence of Greg Elking, who claimed to have only seen the eyes of the shooters. Boyd's girlfriend, who was present inside the apartment, called 911, and he was taken to University Hospital where was pronounced dead within the hour.
2) Lamar Johnson was declared a suspect based on his recent falling out with the victim
Not long after the killing, news of Johnson's falling out with Boyd surfaced. Reports state that both men were close friends and used to deal drugs together. However, before the shooting, the two had a falling out over missing drugs and stolen money. The suspicion was raised by Boyd's girlfriend Leslie Williams and her cousin Pamela Williams.
3) Johnson stated his alibi for the time of the shooting, but to no avail
According to reports, Lamar Johnson spoke about his alibi when the allegations first surfaced. He said that he was with his girlfriend Erika Barrow a few miles from Boyd's home when the shooting occurred. However, a police report from the time revealed that the victim's girlfriend "strongly believes" that Lamar may have something to do with the murder.
Recent reports state that Barrow claimed that the alleged shooter was with her the entire night, except for a span of five minutes. It wasn't enough time for him to travel those three miles, commit the crime, and then return home. Barrow also claimed that at the time of the investigation, law enforcement never spoke to her.
4) Greg Elking's testimony led to Johnson's conviction after he picked up his picture from the police line-up
Elking was the state's star eyewitness in the case against Lamar Johnson. Reports state that he claimed that both the shooters were wearing masks with only their eyes visible and that he got a look at one of the shooters' eyes.
He later picked up Johnson's photo from the police line-up after he was shown the pictures multiple times, and then testified at his 1995 trial, alleging that he identified the accused only by the look of his eyes.
5) Elking now claims that detectives pressurized him into making an identification
According to CBS, Elking revealed that he didn't know who Marcus Boyd's shooters were and that detectives pressured him into making identification at the time.
He initially claimed to have refused to do so, but investigators told him that his own life might be in danger given Lamar Johnson's violent background. He alleged that they told him that Johnson was likely involved in at least six other murders.
However, the lead detective from the case, Joseph Nickerson, has denied these claims under oath. Elking later said in an interview that he "lied on the testimony" and that he did so "because I thought I was doing the right thing."
Learn more about Lamar Johnson's wrongful conviction in an upcoming CBS 48 Hours episode on Saturday, April 29, 2023, at 10 pm ET.
