he had bought that from kevin freeman. >> kevin freeman sold the murder weapon to an unwitting john thomson involved in buying and selling some stolen property. it's not something he's proud of. >> i was a dope dealer. you was a burglar, you was a robber, you wanted dope, you need to bring me some type of collateral. that was a part of a drug trade, being a fence. i'm sorry, that's how i came about being in possession of the murder weapon. >> the defense rested and the case was handed over to the jury. >> the jury gets up and leaves with your fate in their hands you try to smile while they're leaving. all them passing right by you. all of them looking you in your face like for the last time. >> the pressure was enormous, it was almost like you couldn't breathe. there's a lot of nervous energy and small talk that goes on. before we can sit down and order food, the jury reached a decision. boy, i was so scared i said what? they did -- what? how? that fast? >> the jury took only 35 minutes to agree on a verdict. >> the jury files back in, whenever a jury comes back, you're looking at every jur

get started at phoenixtrial.com >>> the retrial of john thomson >>> the retrial of john thomson lasteda day and a half. the jury took 35 minutes to return their verdict. >> when the jury come back, the judge asked them, has the jury reached a decision? the jury said, yes, your honor. and then said, will the defendant rise? >> there's incredible tension and nervous energy. and you just don't know, because juries can do anything. >> each word slows down in time. it's, we the jury, find the defendant, john thompson, not guilty. i can't describe it. >> i literally felt like i was lifted off my chair. >> i looked around at my mom and my son. the relief i felt of knowing that i'm going home. this is finally behind me. this is finally over with. >> we each gave him a big hug. it was a moment. >> after 18 years in prison, john thomson was finally going home. but aside from his freedom, he was walking away with little else. >> kick in the behind and $10. they didn't have no compensation available for nobody like myself. no matter how many years you do in prison you have to fend for yourself. >>

. >> the story that kevin freeman told police was that he and john thomson had been driving home together and the car had run out of gas. ray liuzza drove past them, parked and began to walk across the street to his apartment. at that point john thompson turned to him and said, i'm going to hit that guy and pulled a gun out of his pocket. >> and then mr. freeman got cold feet, if you will and decided he didn't want any part of it. and as he was running away, freeman said he heard the shots. >> the police charged freeman and thompson with murder. the local prosecutor wanted the death penalty for thompson, but knew it would be an uphill battle because thompson had never been convicted of a violent crime. that was about to change. >> on december 28, 1984, 19-year-old jay la guard, and his sister who was 16 and their younger brother who was 12 went to the superdome for a college basketball tournament. after the game as they were getting in the car, an african-american man jumped into the backseat, pulled out a .357 magnum and said i'm taking your car, i want your wallet, i want your valuables