Bosley to present proposal to establish conviction review units

Judiciary Committee will hear House Bill 1086 Monday

Rep. LaKeySha Bosley (MOHDC)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — State Rep. LaKeySha Bosley, D-St. Louis, announced a bill to establish conviction review units will be heard to the House Judiciary Committee when it next convenes Feb. 27. The hearing will take place less than two weeks after a judge overturned the conviction of Lamar Johnson, who served 28 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. Johnson long maintained his innocence, and new evidence that came to light well after his conviction supported his claims. However, until a new law was passed in 2021, he had no legal recourse to have his case reheard.

“While that law has helped men like Mr. Johnson and Kevin Strickland avoid further injustice, it still puts the onus on the prosecutor to try overturning these cases,” Bosley said. “I believe we can go further for those wrongfully convicted and imprisoned by providing another avenue — a more proactive avenue — to make their case when new evidence emerges.”

House Bill 1086 would allow those convicted of crimes but claiming their innocence another means to prove they do not belong in prison. Bosley noted that a convicted person must meet two conditions to have their claims of innocence investigated.

A convict may not have any other legal matters pending regarding their conviction, and reviews on their innocence claims would need to be based on newly discovered evidence not presented at trial.