finally kim gardner was available to talk to me. not made that random call on about two weeks prior to what they had decided upon in terms of a hearing, they had accepted an 8-year plea deal without notifying me whatsoever. and i had, as i said, about a week and a half, to two weeks in order to affect some sort of change in my son's case. the reason i had not wanted to attend the trial itself was because i didn't want to hear all the gory details of what i presumed had happened to my son. what i ended up finding out after kim gardner finally called me back with two others was a chief warrant officer doing most of the talking, was that the warrant officer said that there were no witnesses and there was no proof through the video that they had that a weapon was used. so they are -- >> lawrence: yes, i'm sorry to cut you off. i'm sorry for that error too. we will get that right the next time. do you feel like the d.a., based on all that you have told us is prioritizing the criminals over victims like you? >> she paid absolutely no atte

convicted and sentenced to life in prison that's where the story might end if circuit attorney kim gardner's office hadn't found this, a record of payments never disclosed to the only eyewitness in the case, who later recanted his testimony. years later two other people confessed they were the killers, not lamar johnson. >> you believe he was wrongfully convicted >> yes, i do >> reporter: so in 2019 gardner filed for a new trial. but missouri law says a prosecutor can only seek that within 15 days of a conviction in johnson's case back in 1995. >> 15 days that's it? justice ends i don't think that there is time limits on innocence >> reporter: a judge appointed the missouri attorney general, republican eric schmitt, to represent the state, pitting him against gardner, a progressive democrat >> i think the attorney general is afraid of someone like me that's a progressive prosecutor and what we stand for. >> reporter: schmitt has argued there's no mechanism to file for a new trial so long after the conviction and this spring the missouri supreme court agreed >> it was just devastating. >> rep

louis circuit kim gardner is facing criticism is under fire yet again. record showing that since she came into office the rate of felony cases dropped by her office has more than doubled. let's bring in a former nypd police commissioner bill bratton who is also the author of profession. a memoir of community race and the art of policing in america. let's put up the screen so the people at home can see the destined to make a felonies. in 2015 that number was 15.5% and it grows to 35.8% in 2020. so far 2021 year to date it's at 41.4%. what is going on? >> unfortunately what's happening in the city of st. louis, it's being replicated in dozens of cities around the country. philadelphia, chicago, seattle and portland. we have district attorneys that would be described as the progressive left reform candidates and during that time crime has continued to grow in their jurisdictions and they are protecting the public, the victims. they've been the institutionalizing at a rapid rate by putting people in jail and they've been supporting effectively decriminalizat

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