BALTIMORE (AP) - A man who was exonerated after spending three decades in prison for a murder he didn’t commit is suing the Baltimore Police Department.
News outlets report 51-year-old Jerome Johnson filed the lawsuit in federal court Wednesday, asserting Baltimore police suppressed evidence and falsified police reports to secure his conviction.
Johnson was accused of being present at a nightclub where Aaron Taylor was shot in 1988. No physical evidence tied Johnson to the scene.
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His conviction hinged on the testimony of the victim’s 15-year-old cousin, whose initial statement didn’t mention Johnson. The lawsuit says her statement was suppressed at trial, along with statements from alibi witnesses and Johnson’s co-defendants affirming his innocence.
Attorney Kobie Flowers says Baltimore police have a “long history” of misconduct. Reports didn’t include comment from police.
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