Missouri man who spent nearly 28 years in prison on a wrongful conviction sues St. Louis, police

By JIM SALTER
Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Missouri man who spent nearly 28 years in prison until a judge determined he was wrongfully convicted filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, alleging that St. Louis police officers “detained, arrested, and framed him for a murder he did not commit.” Lamar Johnson seeks unspecified damages in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. It names the city of St. Louis and eight police officers. Johnson was convicted of killing a friend over a drug money dispute in 1994, but maintained his innocence from the outset. Former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner filed for a hearing seeking John’s release, and a judge ruled in February that the conviction was wrongful, freeing Johnson.