← All Cases / Episode #94
The Case of Messiah Johnson
📻 Episode #94
🎙️ Hosted by Jason Flom
📅 Apr 15, 2019
About This Episode
On December 5th, 1997, two armed and disguised men robbed a beauty salon and its patrons in Norfolk, VA. On December 19th, Messiah Johnson was misidentified as the culprit and arrested. In the absence of any physical evidence and in spite of his corroborated alibi, Messiah Johnson was convicted on 26 counts of armed robbery,…
The Case
On December 5th, 1997, two armed and disguised men robbed a beauty salon and its patrons in Norfolk, VA. On December 19th, Messiah Johnson was misidentified as the culprit and arrested. In the absence of any physical evidence and in spite of his corroborated alibi, Messiah Johnson was convicted on 26 counts of armed robbery, abduction, and related gun charges, and he was sentenced to 132 years in prison. He was pardoned by Governor Terry McAuliffe in 2018. Messiah is a graphic designer and still lives in Virginia, as he continues to fight to clear his name. You can find him on Instagram @messiahaladar johnson. If you’d like to show him support, please visit: https://www.gofundme.com/rc8d4-welcome-home-messiah-johnson
https://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com/with-jason-flom
We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In Their Own Words — transcript excerpts
Short excerpts from the episode's official published transcript, with timestamps — listen from these moments, or read the full transcript via the podcast's own platforms.
00:05:36“Speaker 6: But from behind the lights, you know, before my eyes Speaker 6: really had a chance to adjust, you could really hear Speaker 6: the demands of put your hands up, and so you Speaker 6: don't really have time to process that. So I just complied, Speaker 6: not really knowing what was going on, and I did”
00:20:23“Speaker 6: you know, seven seven, five, five five, And it was Speaker 6: a moment where my attorney looked at me. Speaker 4: And said, well, how much is that? Speaker 6: And I was just like, man, you have the penning paper, Speaker 6: you're not adding this up. I after the first five years,”
00:36:01“Speaker 6: it will have several programs, and they want about educating Speaker 6: the community about laws and how they can affect change Speaker 6: through their legislators, people who are supposed to represent them. Speaker 6: But I learned that a lot of elders in the communities, Speaker 6: they don't have the education. They want to be educated”
Listen to the Episode
🎧 Listen on Omny / the podcast's platforms
Resources & links from the episode:
Share this case, follow the organisations working on it, and support the podcast's fight for the innocent at lavaforgood.com.
← #93 Gloria Killian #95 Joe Berlinger →
Also on the podcast: #36 Lorenzo Johnson · #64 Calvin Johnson · #103 Bobbie Jean Johnson