Freed prisoner wants compensation: 18 years for a crime he didn't do

St. Louis Post-Dispatch ^ | 8.1.02 | Tim Bryant

[rface]

On his first full day of freedom in 18 years, Larry Johnson said he wanted money from the state for imprisoning him for a rape that new DNA evidence shows he did not commit.

Johnson, 48, said he could not depend indefinitely on the help of relatives, who welcomed him upon his release from prison Tuesday after a judge ruled he had been wrongfully imprisoned.

[OBAFGKM]

If the state had done the right thing and just fried the convicted rapist, we wouldn't be having this embarassment. The problem is really that our criminal justice system is just too lenient. If he had been executed, his death could serve as a deterrent for other would-be rapists. Instead, he costs a bundle of tax dollars in prison and now he's whining about being on some sort of welfare for the rest of his life. He should be grateful to be alive!

[unixfox]

...no finding of God

I think a few on this forum would disagree on this point.

[FatherTorque]

If the state had done the right thing and just fried the convicted rapist, we wouldn't be having this embarassment. The problem is really that our criminal justice system is just too lenient. If he had been executed, his death could serve as a deterrent for other would-be rapists. Instead, he costs a bundle of tax dollars in prison and now he's whining about being on some sort of welfare for the rest of his life. He should be grateful to be alive!

Let me get this straight, you think that he should have been executed for a crime that he didn't commit?

FT, shutting off his computer and going to find some adults to talk to.

[unixfox]

If he had been executed, his death could serve as a deterrent for other would-be rapists.

And what if later he would have been found not guilty by a DNA test?

Furthermore, what if you would have been on a jury that had sentenced him to death and later found out he was not guilty?

[cardinal4]

Maybe, but I still think that this guy should be glad hes out instead of claiming someone owes him money. Its just my opinion,but this guy was convicted of robbing and raping another woman. If there was weapon used that would be three violent felonies committed against one person.This animal should still be locked up for that crime. Had he been,he wouldnt have been out to be accused of raping another woman.Now MO taxpayers will have to pay for a new life for someone who should never have gotten out in the first place.

[Stone Mountain]

Wouln't you think that DNA not properly stored would break down over time? And of course it wouldn't be a match. anyone have info on this???

DNA, not properly stored can degrade somewhat over time, although it depends on a lot of conditions - DNA has been extracted from people dead for many years or from a spot of blood left outdoors. If the sample degraded, however, they wouldn't come up with a non-match - they would just say that there is not enough DNA left to do a test.

There's no indication here that the DNA wasn't properly stored though - the police routinely store rape kit specimins and other evidence long after the case has been "closed."

[Stone Mountain]

Maybe, but I still think that this guy should be glad hes out instead of claiming someone owes him money.

I don't know. He was wrongly imprisoned for 18 years. Evidence that eventually exonerated him existed. He had already paid the price for his previous conviction, and agree with it or not, his debt to society was over at that point and he shouldn't have been wrongly imprisoned any more than you are I should be. If it happened to me, I know I would want some sort of compensation. Wouldn't you?

[blau993]

Consider that a prior rape conviction might have increased the odds for the arrest and conviction.

OK, I'll concede that point -- the initial focus on him was probably not random selection. But they had to have evidence beyond simply the prior conviction (which, as you probably know, would not even be admissable at his trial). That brings me back to my point. Is it so easy to build a case against an innocent man that the cops could simply pluck off the street the first convicted rapist they could find and, BINGO, get a conviction? That, to me, is a tough proposition to sell.

I am far more ready to believe that the science of DNA typing and matching may not be as advanced or as foolproof as we have been led to believe. I think that if you have evidence against a suspect and then are able to match his DNA, that probably is a clincher. However, I am not persuaded the process works as well in reverse.

[rogercolleridge]

I abhor sex crimes and believe that sex offenders should be locked up for life. If he didnt rape the college student,then he was being punished for raping the sergeants wife.

I agree. Being in prision for 18 years is probably the only thing that stopped him from doing it again!!! Where's the justice for the poor girl that he DID brutalize?

[OBAFGKM]

I hate it when I have to explain sarcism. On the other hand, I suppose my post doesn't differ all that much from some of the other, presumedly serious, posts on this thread.

[cardinal4]

You are correct when you say he has paid his debt to society and yes, if it happened to me, I would expect some kind of compensation. But Im not a rapist and have never considered be one. LOL! I just feel that his earlier conviction for a violent sex crime, paroled or not, should negate any award for a wrongful conviction for the same crime. Harsh? Probably. Biased? Absolutley! I have three kids. And as I type, Fox is broadcasting from the scene where another one of these animals has kidnapped TWO girls.Peoples kids are being stolen with alarming regularity now,and because of a Dickensian quirk,Missouri tax payers are about to reward one of the perps. Again, just my opinion.

[monday]

"Have you ever seen a media report where the "poor innocent's" prior felony convictions are revealed? Of course, not! These people are always as pure as the driven snow, to hear the media tell it! "

Huh? This article revealed prior convictions. Is the St Louis Post-Dispatch not part of the media? I am confused?

[cardinal4]

Im watching Fox news and am getting angrier by the minute.Perhaps that is why I have zero sympathy for this guy. People who steal other peoples kids are lower than bill xlinton.And it grates on me that we will have to buy this guy a new life,job,house and car.

[Viva Le Dissention]

Are you actually saying what I think you are?

That if you've been previously convicted of a crime, then it's totally acceptable for police to harrass you, throw you in jail for a crime you didn't commit, and then let rot for 18 years? All because you were once convicted of another crime?

[cardinal4]

My post 31;

Peoples kids are being stolen with alarming regularity now,and because of a Dickensian quirk,Missouri tax payers are about to reward one of the perps. Again, just my opinion.

That is all Im saying.

[FatherTorque]

I hate it when I have to explain sarcism. On the other hand, I suppose my post doesn't differ all that much from some of the other, presumedly serious, posts on this thread.

Apologies, but after some of the posts I've read around here lately, well let's just say that some people around here are a little far out there.

[Viva Le Dissention]

MO taxpayers should compensate someone that was imprisoned wrongly. When government screws up, it should be puinished. 18 years of this man's life was taken away because of the Government. You think a "Whoops" will do?

You can't be serious.

If, as a taxpayer, you don't want to continue paying for people wrongly imprisoned, elect a DA that will do his job properly.

[general_re]

I hate it when I have to explain sarcism.

Me too, and I usually have a pretty good eye for that sort of thing, but it's getting harder and harder to tell around here anymore - I admit, I wasn't really sure if you were serious or not.

No matter how outlandishly ridiculous you make your sarcastic posts, it seems like it's just a matter of time before someone comes along and agrees 100% with you. Maybe we should make the sarcasm tag mandatory ;)

[rogercolleridge]

When government screws up, it should be puinished.

Correct, they screwed up when they released him after 7 years for the first crime.

[MEGoody]

"Society owes it to him to help him get some education and get back on his feet. It is the right and compassionate thing to do."

I would agree. They could send him to school or give him a job working for the state. Even if they gave him a job as a janitor, he'd be making pretty darn good money and have good benefits.