On the witness stand on Monday afternoon, James Howard admitted to killing Marcus Boyd in 1994. At the time, Howard was 17 years old.
Howard provided information about what transpired that night and acknowledged that he was one of two gunmen. He and Phil Campbell confronted Boyd while dressed in all black, sporting ski masks, and carrying weapons. Not to kill Boyd, but to demand money, was the aim.
“Man, things happen in the heat of the moment when things are tense. And they occur quickly,” Howard stated.
Howard explained to the judge how he buried the firearm beneath a pine tree and then washed the black clothing he had on that evening at home. He was concerned that the garment would get stained with blood. He claimed to have used standard laundry detergent and a small amount of bleach.
He testified before the court that he kept quiet out of fear that Lamar Johnson would be found guilty of the murder.
DEVELOPING: case against Lamar Johnson unravels in court today.
One man admits he’s the killer and clears Johnson.
The eyewitness says he was pressured by police to make a bad identification.
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@KMOV
@The_MIPhttps://t.co/THk5a6i2tv— Angie Ricono 🌻 (@angiericono) December 13, 2022
Since he had nothing to do with it, Howard remarked, “I didn’t think they would convict him.”
Given a life sentence for murder and other unconnected offenses, Howard is presently incarcerated.
Gary Elking, the only witness to the incident, admitted to the judge that he couldn’t actually name the shooters from that evening but felt compelled by police to name Lamar Johnson.
Elking claims that ever since he has felt bad.
“I immediately responded, ‘No, I have never met Marcus’ friend. I have no idea who was responsible for the shooting or even why it occurred. All I know is that I was terrified. I simply saw an execution,” Elking admitted in court.
Elking said he believed if he didn’t help the police, he may be charged with a crime.
Despite the fact that the murderers were wearing full face masks, Johnson’s conviction was largely based on the eyewitness testimony that named him as one of the shooters.
Johnson’s legal team and backers are criticizing it as one of several case-related issues.
Lamar Johnson, who has served 28 years, has consistently maintained his innocence. A new Missouri statute that enables prosecutors to revisit previous convictions and retry them in court has brought his case back before the courts.
The first and only release under that law was Kansas City resident Kevin Strickland. The second individual might be Lamar Johnson.
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