Philadelphia man is released after 34 years in prison

Ronald Johnson, who spent more than 30 years behind bars, was released Monday after a Philadelphia judge vacated his sentence and overturned his conviction, officials said.

Judge Scott DiClaudio thus granted Mr. Johnson’s request for post-conviction relief. Prosecutors informed the court that they would not pursue a new trial and sought to dismiss all charges, which the judge allowed.

That meant Mr. Johnson was a free man, according to his lawyer, Jennifer Merrigan.

“There is no way they can retry him because there is absolutely no evidence against him,” Ms. Merrigan said in an interview on Tuesday.

Mr. Johnson, 61, had served 34 years after being convicted of the 1990 murder of Joseph Goldsby. The conviction was “based solely on the false testimony of two witnesses,” the nonprofit law firm Phillips Black, which counsels incarcerated individuals : said in a statement.

Police had hidden evidence showing Mr Johnson had not taken part in the crime, Ms Merrigan said. She pointed to two witnesses who gave statements to police after being interviewed multiple times, saying Mr. Johnson was not present and “actually identifying another person.”

“The police then hid that evidence, and when he went to trial, the jury heard from two witnesses who said he was there. But he and his lawyers were unaware that these witnesses had made many more statements,” she said.

Ms. Merrigan said that “this kind of police misconduct has happened a lot in Philadelphia, and a lot across the country.”

“It’s really unfair to the people who are convicted and lose many years of their lives, but also to the victims, who don’t know what really happened to their loved one,” she said.

Mr Johnson, who had maintained his innocence during years behind bars, said he spent the first 24 hours of his newfound freedom taking a bath, buying clothes and getting a driver’s license. He enjoyed an extensive meal with his family, including rib-eye steak, shrimp and steak fries.

“I am starting a new chapter, and I am not rushing,” Mr. Johnson said in an interview on Tuesday, noting that “these long years have been tough.”

“Maybe you just cry at night,” he said, but “the next day you have to pick yourself up.”

Mr. Johnson, who turns 62 this summer, said he thinks he “will have two birthdays now.”

“The day I got out, and my usual birthday,” he said. “I think I’m going to celebrate them for two days for the rest of my life.”