photo by: Dylan Lysen/Lawrence Journal-World
Rontarus Washington Jr. appears in Douglas County District Court on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, with Tricia Bushnell, one of the three attorneys serving as his new counsel. Washington is also being represented by attorneys Melanie Morgan and Josh Dubin.
With new attorneys serving as defense counsel in Rontarus Washington Jr.’s long-running murder case, Judge James McCabria said Tuesday that he was not sure the current trial date for September would hold.
During a hearing in Douglas County District Court, McCabria approved Washington’s new counsel, which includes Kansas-based attorney Melanie Morgan and Josh Dubin and Tricia Bushnell of the Innocence Project. McCabria said he felt comfortable allowing Dubin and others to take over the defense in the case after hearing from Judge Sally Pokorny, who complimented Dubin’s handling of a case in her court.
Missouri Prosecutors Lack Power to Right Wrongful Conviction theintercept.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theintercept.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Published March 10, 2021 at 3:35 PM CST Listen
/ Jamala Rogers, far left, executive director of the Organization for Black Struggle, delivers petitions supporting a new trial for Lamar Johnson to Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt in 2019.
Last week, the Missouri Supreme Court dealt another blow to advocates seeking to free Lamar Johnson from prison. The St. Louis man has served 26 years for a murder that the St. Louis Circuit Attorney whose office originally prosecuted the case now says he didn’t commit.
But the prosecutor’s office and advocates alike have been stymied by legal procedure. The Supreme Court on March 2 unanimously affirmed a lower court ruling that Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner does not have the right to motion for a new trial. The request, its decision affirmed, came decades too late.
The Missouri Supreme Court ruled against Lamar Johnson on March 2. The St. Louis man has been joined by the Midwest Innocence Project and the St. Louis Circuit Attorney in seeking freedom after 26 years in prison for a murder he says he did not commit. Attorney Lindsay Runnells discusses next steps on St. Louis on the Air.
Originally published on March 10, 2021 4:59 pm
Last week, the Missouri Supreme Court dealt another blow to advocates seeking to free Lamar Johnson from prison. The St. Louis man has served 26 years for a murder that the St. Louis Circuit Attorney whose office originally prosecuted the case now says he didn’t commit.
But the prosecutor’s office and advocates alike have been stymied by legal procedure. The Supreme Court on March 2 unanimously affirmed a lower court ruling that Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner does not have the right to motion for a new trial. The request, its decision affirmed, came decades too late.