'This is overwhelming'
A man who has served almost 28 years of a life sentence was allowed to walk free after his conviction was overturned on Tuesday.
Lamar Johnson, 50, has spent more than half of his life in prison has maintained his stance that he was innocent since pleading not guilty to the murder of his 25-year-old friend, Marcus Boyd, in 1994.
Johnson was convicted of murder for the October 1994 killing of Marcus Boyd, who was shot to death on his front porch by two masked men.
However Missouri judge David Mason said there was "evidence so reliable that is actually passes the standard of clear and convincing."
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He was pictured leaving the courthouse lobby two hours after the ruling on February 14 and thanked the judge and everyone else working on his case, before declining to take further questions.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, who filed a motion in August, seeking the 50-year-old's release after an investigation conducted by her office along with help from the Innocence Project convinced her he was telling the truth, praised the ruling.
In front of gathered press, she said: "Mr. Lamar Johnson. Thank you. You're free."
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Gardner added that Johnson would now be able to spend time with his relevant attorneys and family.
"This is Valentine's Day and this is historical," she added.
His attorneys added: "While today brings joy, nothing can restore all that the state stole from him. Nothing will give him back the nearly three decades he lost while separated from his daughters and family."
A spokesperson for the office, Madeline Sieren, confirmed in an email that the office will take no further action in the case.
Sieren wrote: "As he stated when he was sworn in, Attorney General (Andrew) Bailey is committed to enforcing the laws as written.
"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."
Despite the release, Johnson will not qualify for compensation because the case did not hinge on DNA. Although many states do offer it for when convictions are overturned, it isn't as common in the state of Missouri.
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