Shivangi Sinha
Lamar Johnson was convicted of first-degree murder in the case involving Marcus Boyd and received a life sentence in prison without the chance of parole. At the time of his conviction, Lamar, aged 21, was a father of two and in a committed relationship with Erika Barrow. In February 2023, the court declared Lamar innocent and acknowledged that he had been unjustly imprisoned for all those years. In the CBS documentary ’48 Hours: Lamar Johnson: Standing in Truth,’ his family gathers to discuss the time they spent apart from Lamar.
Brittany Johnson, Keira Barrow, and Erika Barrow Always Believed in Lamar Johnson’s Innocence
In the documentary, Erika Barrow recounted that on the night of Marcus Boyd’s murder, she was with Lamar Johnson. At that time, their eldest daughter, Brittany Johnson, was only a year old, and the couple had recently welcomed another daughter named Keira Barrow, who was just a few months old. Erika recalled that she briefly put Keira down, and Lamar stepped out for approximately 3 to 5 minutes with a friend but was otherwise at home with her.
During the investigation, when Boyd’s friend Greg Elking identified Lamar as the shooter, Erika Barrow awaited the police’s arrival to testify that Lamar had been with her the entire time. However, she was never approached by law enforcement. Lamar’s attorney asserted that he had only left his house for a brief period, and considering that the crime scene was three miles away, it was logistically impossible for him to commit the murder and return so quickly. The defense also put Erika on the stand, and she testified about Lamar’s whereabouts.
The prosecutors then argued that Erika might have misjudged the time and that Lamar could have been absent for longer than she realized, possibly up to 15 minutes instead of just 5. Lamar was found guilty and was sentenced to life in prison. He did not get a chance to see his daughters grow up, but they did not forget him. They wrote to him frequently and built a relationship with a father whom they had not seen much.
Brittany Johnson, Keira Barrow, and Erika Barrow Were Delighted by Lamar Johnson’s Exoneration
After years of striving to demonstrate his innocence, Lamar Johnson was exonerated in February 2023. A pivotal piece of evidence that his defense team was able to present was a letter written by the main witness, Greg Elking, asserting Lamar’s innocence. Additionally, they obtained a confession from one of the two individuals who had murdered Marcus Boyd. Both Brittany Johnson and Keira Barrow expressed unwavering faith and stated that they had always believed in their father’s innocence.
Brittany, who works as a hairdresser now, was grateful for the opportunity to live with her father. She wanted to make up for all the years that they had lost and was sure that they would be able to make the most of the years that lay ahead of them. Keira, similarly, was overjoyed as she prepared for her wedding in 2023. Lamar’s release allowed him to partake in the celebrations and be present for his family, bringing immense happiness to Keira and all those close to him. It was a momentous occasion, marking the end of a long and arduous journey to prove Lamar’s innocence.
Both of Lamar’s daughters believe that the time that Lamar spent in prison would not have changed him as a person, and he is as striking a person as he always was. Keira remarked, “I think that just despite everything that he has experienced, who he is and who he shows up as, it is just — it’s remarkable.”
Erika was also present in the courthouse with her daughter, and the look of relief on her face said everything that she could not express in words. She expressed that a good man like Lamar deserves all the happiness in the world, and his chance to achieve it has come now. The four of them are now looking ahead at the years of happiness that they have together.
Read More: Markus Boyd: How Did He Die? Who Killed Him?
