Willie Johnson, the victim of a 1992 shooting in which two of his friends were killed has been indicted for perjury in Illinois after recanting the testimony he gave in 1994. His eyewitness testimony resulted in the conviction of two men who are now serving life sentences. In the post-conviction hearing earlier this year in which Johnson recanted his testimony, the judge found Johnson's testimony was not credible and refused the convicted men's petitions. Johnson's lawyer, Steven Greenberg, is calling foul. As reported in Chicago Tribune, says the indictment is unprecedented and could discourage other witnesses who lied on the stand from coming forward and admitting their errors. "When the state starts indicting people for perjury like this, eventually that will lead to suppressing the truth." he said. A spokesperson for
Northwestern University Law School's Center for Wrongful Convictions called the perjury charge "beyond outrageous."
HT: ABA Journal
