CHICAGO ( WGN ) — A wrongfully convicted man who was released from custody on Thursday evening after spending nearly 29 years behind bars says he wants to help others like him who’ve had their freedom taken away, and he wants to see the officer who arrested him held accountable.
Robert Johnson was a teen when he was arrested in connection with the 1996 killing of Eddie Binion and later convicted of first-degree murder, armed robbery and home invasion. Now 45 and a free man with the help of the Exoneration Project, Johnson said he aspires to become a paralegal.
Judge vacates conviction of man who professed innocence for nearly 30 years
Johnson’s defense said that during his trial years ago, there was no physical evidence or eyewitnesses connecting him to the crime.
Additionally, they say a juvenile co-defendant agreed to a plea deal in exchange for his false testimony.
“This kid was facing 30 years in prison and offered 15 and that’s the only person to testify against Robert at trial,” Megan Richardson, Johnson’s attorney through the Exoneration Project. “The evidence was incredibly weak.”…