Bobby Johnson Released, Bobby Johnson was released from prison after nine years of being held behind bars for a killing he didn’t do. He walked out of New Haven Superior Court telling the barrage of reporters, “I am still trying to grasp everything now. It’s beautiful. It’s beautiful.” If his words didn’t convince the crowd of his joy, his face certainly did, as he had such a grin going that could light up a city at night!
Johnson, who is 25 today, was just a kid of 16 when he was coerced into a confession by the police in New Haven, said his lawyer Kenneth Rosenthal. The judge released Johnson after New Haven city’s attorney and prosecutor Timothy Sugrue of the chief state attorney’s office filed a motion asking the judge in this case to set aside Johnson’s conviction, according to MSN News on September 5.
Johnson, who has the IQ of 69, which is just under the threshold of 70 where a person is considered to suffer from mental impairment, confessed to a murder when he was 16 after being threatened by police. He was told he’d never see his family again because he’d be facing the death penalty if he didn’t confess. He was also told that he would get probation if he did indeed confess to this crime.
He did get convicted after his confession and sentenced to 38 years in prison. Johnson and a 14-year-old friend at the time were arrested for the shooting death of an elderly man during a robbery in New Haven back in 2006. Rosenthal said that police not only withheld evidence that pointed to other suspects in this killing, but they lied when reporting they had evidence linking Johnson to this killing.
According to CBS News, "His release culminated years of efforts to win his freedom by his lawyer, Kenneth Rosenthal, and the Connecticut Innocence Project. Rosenthal said he expects Johnson to file a wrongful incarceration claim with the state, which potentially could result in millions of dollars in compensation."
A previous appeal lost in court, but finally at Johnson’s lawyer’s urging, this crime was re-investigated, which resulted in Johnson being freed. He can now sue for wrongful imprisonment and you would probably be hard pressed to find anyone who would think that he shouldn’t after all his been through. Johnson’s 14-year-old “accomplice” was acquitted after being detained for 18 months.
Johnson, who is 25 today, was just a kid of 16 when he was coerced into a confession by the police in New Haven, said his lawyer Kenneth Rosenthal. The judge released Johnson after New Haven city’s attorney and prosecutor Timothy Sugrue of the chief state attorney’s office filed a motion asking the judge in this case to set aside Johnson’s conviction, according to MSN News on September 5.
Johnson, who has the IQ of 69, which is just under the threshold of 70 where a person is considered to suffer from mental impairment, confessed to a murder when he was 16 after being threatened by police. He was told he’d never see his family again because he’d be facing the death penalty if he didn’t confess. He was also told that he would get probation if he did indeed confess to this crime.
He did get convicted after his confession and sentenced to 38 years in prison. Johnson and a 14-year-old friend at the time were arrested for the shooting death of an elderly man during a robbery in New Haven back in 2006. Rosenthal said that police not only withheld evidence that pointed to other suspects in this killing, but they lied when reporting they had evidence linking Johnson to this killing.
According to CBS News, "His release culminated years of efforts to win his freedom by his lawyer, Kenneth Rosenthal, and the Connecticut Innocence Project. Rosenthal said he expects Johnson to file a wrongful incarceration claim with the state, which potentially could result in millions of dollars in compensation."
A previous appeal lost in court, but finally at Johnson’s lawyer’s urging, this crime was re-investigated, which resulted in Johnson being freed. He can now sue for wrongful imprisonment and you would probably be hard pressed to find anyone who would think that he shouldn’t after all his been through. Johnson’s 14-year-old “accomplice” was acquitted after being detained for 18 months.
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