Lorenzo+Johnson

[] [] Lorenzo Johnson Judy McManus, Rachel Sutherland, Steph Rusu

Summary Of What Happened On March 17, 1997 involving Lorenzo Johnson


 * 1) Lorenzo Johnson was falsely accused of murder and conspiracy on March 17, 1997.
 * 2) Mr. Johnson was in New York at the time of the murder.
 * 3) The witness made a statement for Mr. Johnson, however she was then forced to change the statement.
 * 4) She had changed the statement because the police said that they would reduce the sentencing that she has for her own criminal charge that she had pending.
 * 5) Their were a few other witnesses that said that Mr. Johnson was nowhere to be found on the night of the murder.
 * 6) Another women, was given crack cocaine supposedly to lure the man that was murdered to the alley.
 * 7) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">She originally said that she didn’t even know what happened.
 * 8) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: lower-alpha; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Then, she changed her statement saying that Mr. Johnson got in an argument with the murdered victim. She said that they were kicked out of the bar and she heard a bang.
 * 9) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The bar owner said that at the bar the night the person was murdered Mr. Johnson was not even their.
 * 10) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Their was also another witness saying that the murder was most likely a girl.
 * 11) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: lower-alpha; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The witness said this because the person seen a women going into an alley way a few minutes before the person was murdered.
 * 12) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">They only had two mug shots to show to the witnesses!!
 * 13) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">One of the witnesses who accused Lorenzo, changed her statement saying that he never saw Johnson and was only pressured to accuse Lorenzo Johnson.
 * 14) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Because of the little evidence the Supreme Court Judge dissented the case and Lorenzo Johnson filed for a Post Conviction Act

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">____________________________________________________________________________

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">At Trial <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">False accounts by witnesses caused a re-stating of what occurred the night of the murder. None of these statements directly pointed to Johnson as the perpetrator thus wrongly accusing him of the murder. Victoria Doubs- eyewitness account the night of the murder -forced by police to change her testimony so that her own jail sentence would be shortened. - was being charged with her own crimes unrelated to this murder case(unspecified) - testified that she was not given special treatment to change her alibi

Carla Brown-with Johnson and others the night of the murder - Found Johnson guilty because she stated she heard the argument in the bar as she was there, and saw both men leave the bar. - Later that night while Brown was still in the bar, she was told about the murder that had occured. - Brown stated that she believed Johnson was the murderer though this is an opinion and is NOT an eyewitness account.

The majority of those in this supreme court found Johnson guilty. The dissenting opinion of one of the judges is as follows <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I dissent from that portion of the Majority's decision which upholds the conviction of Lorenzo Johnson for first degree murder and criminal conspiracy as well as the conviction of Corey Walker for criminal conspiracy. I believe that there is no direct evidence, nor can any be inferred, linking defendant Johnson to the death of Taraja Williams nor any agreement with defendant Walker which resulted in Williams' death. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">

Because there was not total agreement from the jury