Larry Johnson

The Crime

At 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 31, 1984, a 20-year-old Saint Louis University student, identified as J.D., entered her car after studying at a friend’s apartment near campus. Before she could lock her doors, a man pushed his way into the vehicle. He drove them to a secluded area and raped her. 

Afterward, J.D. drove home, called the police, and was taken to a hospital where a rape kit was taken.

The Investigation

J.D. described the attacker as a clean-shaven Black man, though his face was masked by a sweatshirt hood and a scarf. She noted that he was about 260 pounds, 5 feet 6 inches tall, and between 26 to 32 years old. She worked with a police artist to create a composite sketch.  

The police showed her a book of about 140 mug shots, each accompanied by a list of the individual’s convictions. J.D. selected the photograph of 30-year-old Larry Johnson, who had a prior conviction for sexual assault.

Unlike J.D.’s description of the attacker, Mr. Johnson had a mustache and weighed 128 pounds. However, after J.D.’s initial identification, a police officer asked the sketch artist to amend the composite sketch to include a mustache. The revised composite sketch was then shown to J.D.

Mr. Johnson was arrested on Feb. 1, 1984, and put into a live lineup. J.D. again identified him as her attacker. Mr. Johnson was charged with one count each of forcible rape, forcible sodomy, robbery, and kidnapping.

The Trial

In August 1984, Mr. Johnson went to trial in St. Louis Circuit Court. J.D. identified him as her attacker, although she noted that he looked like he had lost some weight.

Joseph Crow, a forensic analyst from the St. Louis police department, testified that sperm had been identified on J.D.’s clothing, but that he did not perform serology testing on the sample. 

On Aug. 21, 1984, the jury convicted Mr. Johnson on all charges. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 60 years.

The Missouri Supreme Court affirmed his convictions in December 1986.

The Exoneration

Eager to prove his innocence, Mr. Johnson contacted the Innocence Project in 1995, seeking assistance to perform DNA testing on the biological evidence. 

Beginning in 1996, Innocence Project students attempted to verify the existence of the evidence. While there was a record confirming the evidence’s existence, the police department declined to locate it without a court order. The Circuit Attorney’s Office also refused to cooperate.

In 2000, the Innocence Project filed a federal civil rights lawsuit seeking a court order to obtain access to the biological evidence, arguing that denial of access was a denial of due process.

In February 2001, while the lawsuit was still pending, the Supreme Court of Missouri adopted a rule, effective Sept. 1, 2001, that allowed for the filing of motions seeking post-conviction DNA testing. The Innocence Project filed a motion for testing on Mr. Johnson’s behalf in November 2001.

The following January, the Court ordered the Circuit Attorney’s Office to respond to the motion. Finally, in March 2002, the Circuit Attorney’s Office dropped its opposition to Mr. Johnson’s motion. 

Testing began at the State of Missouri’s crime laboratory in July 2002. On July 26, 2002, the Innocence Project was informed that the Circuit Attorney had scheduled a press conference for the same day to announce that DNA testing had excluded Mr. Johnson as the perpetrator.

On July 30, 2002, Mr. Johnson’s convictions were vacated, the case was dismissed, and he was released more than 18 years after his arrest. 

Ultimately, Mr. Johnson was awarded $327,650 in state compensation. He also filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, but it was dismissed.