A Norfolk judge agreed Monday to expunge the criminal record of Messiah Johnson, who spent decades trying to prove his innocence in a 1997 armed robbery case that sent him to prison for 132 years. He served two decades of the sentence before a conditional pardon from a former Virginia governor in 2018 set him free.
Johnson, now 52, was convicted of the armed robbery of customers inside Recas Hair Salon on 35th Street in Norfolk. He maintained his innocence throughout his incarceration. News 3 anchor Jessica Larche broke the story about Johnson’s efforts to prove his innocence in 2017. She was in Norfolk Circuit Court Monday to cover his expungement hearing.
“I’m just excited that this chapter of my life in regards to expungement of my record,” Johnson said Monday. “I get that part of my life back.”…