AN UPDATE ON THE KANSAS MAN WHO WAS WRONGFULLY
IMPRISONED FOR 23 YEARS.
HE WAS RECENTLY EXONERATED ON DOUBLE MURDER CHARGES.
HE SAT DOWN WITH CBS.
ONE THING THAT STOOD AT ME WERE THE FACTS OF HIS TRIAL.
THE IDEA THAT THERE ARE MULTIPLE PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL SITTING
BEHIND BARS WHO MIGHT BE SUFFERING THE SAME FATE
THAT HE SUFFERED FOR 23 YEARS.
THE OTHER ASPECT IS THAT HE LIVES IN KANSAS.
KANSAS IS ONE OF THE FEW STATES IN AMERICA THAT DOES NOT
COMPENSATE YOU IF IT IS FOUND THAT YOU ARE WRONGFULLY
IMPRISONED.
YOU CAN SEE IF YOUR STATE FALLS INTO THAT CATEGORY BELOW.
>>HE WAS IN PRISON FOR LONGER THAN HE WAS OUT
OF PRISON.
FIRST LET'S REWIND AND TALK ABOUT HOW MISERABLE THE
CASE AGAINST HIM WAS.
YOU SEE THE STUFF AND IT IS AMAZING THAT PEOPLE GET LIFE
SENTENCES ON THE FLIMSIEST EVIDENCE.
THERE WERE TWO GUYS SITTING IN A CAR.
WHY DO THEY THINK IT WAS LAMONT?
THEY HAD ONE WITNESS THAT SAID I
THINK IT IS A GUY WITH A NAME LAMONT.
AND THEN THEY GET A SECOND WITNESS TO BACK UP THE FIRST
WITNESS WHO TURNS OUT LATER SAID HE MADE ME SAY THAT AND
FORCED ME TO SAY THAT, IT IS NOT
HIM.
NO GUN, NO MOTIVE, NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE.
IT TURNS OUT LAMONT DOESN'T EVEN KNOW THOSE GUYS.
WITHOUT KNOWING THOSE GUYS THEY JUST UP AND SHOT THEM FOR
NO REASON AT ALL.
THE POLICE AT THE TIME COULD NOT PRESENT ANY EVIDENCE IN THE
TRIAL THAT THEY EVEN BOTHERED TO LOOK FOR EVIDENCE.
AND THEY GAVE HIM TO LIFE SENTENCES.
IT IS AMAZING WHAT HAPPENS IN AMERICA.
AND OF COURSE THEY WAITED UNTIL HE WAS 18
AND TRY HIM AS AN ADULT.
ONE OF THE GUYS WHO WAS SHOT WAS AROUND THE SAME AGE AS
LAMONT WAS.
HIS MOM JOINED LAMONT'S MOM AND FIGHTING FOR LAMONT'S
INNOCENCE AND GETTING HIM OUT FOR THESE LAST 20 YEARS.
SHE SAID IT IS DEFINITELY NOT HIM, WHY ARE WE PUTTING HIM
IN PRISON.
SHE REFUSED TO EVEN GO SEE HER SONS BURIAL PLACE UNTIL SHE
GOT JUSTICE FOR LAMONT MCINTYRE.
WHEN YOU GROW INJUSTICES LIKE THIS YOU NEVER GET THE
ACTUAL GUIDE.
IT IS OUT OF LAZINESS AND CORRUPTION AND ALL THIS STUFF.
THEN LEADS TO ñ THIS TOOK EIGHT YEARS.
A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT GROUPS WORKED ON THIS WHY IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE HEARING BACK IN OCTOBER TO THE PROSECUTOR COME OUT AND
SAY HE IS FREE TO GO.
I WILL TELL YOU WHY.
ONE OF THE CHARGES WAS WAS THAT NOT ONLY DID THE CUP DO
SOMETHING WRONG BUT THE PROSECUTOR WHO IS NOW A
PROSECUTOR IN THE US ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IN KANSAS HAD ALSO
DONE SOMETHING WRONG.
ONE OF THE THINGS SHE DID WRONG WAS THAT SHE DID NOT REVEAL WHAT
APPARENTLY WAS ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH THE JUDGE
IN THE CASE.
AND THE JUDGE WAS SCHEDULED TO TESTIFY IN THIS CASE AND
BEFORE HE WAS GOING TO COME OUT AND TESTIFY THE PROSECUTOR
SAID NEVERMIND, YOU ARE FREE TO GO.
IN OTHER WORDS THE JUDGE WAS GOING TO GET EMBARRASSED.
AND HENCE THEY DID NOT TREAT LAMONT MCINTYRE FAIRLEY.
BY THE WAY I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE JUSTICE ON THAT AS WELL.
>>TO PUT IN PERSPECTIVE THE CONVERSATION THAT IS THE
STANDARD, STATUTES SHOULD INCLUDE THIS.
IF YOU ARE CONVICTED OF A CRIME YOU DID COMMIT WE WOULD
TAKE AWAY YOUR FREEDOM.
IF WE TAKE AWAY YOUR FREEDOM WHAT WE GIVE BACK?
THE ONLY THING YOU CAN REALLY LOOK FOR IS MONEY.
THEY WOULD'VE GIVEN HIM $1.84
MILLION FOR THE TIME YOU SPENT BEHIND BARS.
IT IS A WEIRD WAY TO LOOK AT IT BECAUSE IT IS MONETARY
COMPENSATION BUT IT MAKES SENSE.
WE DRINK HOT COFFEE THAT DOESN'T HAVE A LABEL ON IT YOU GET
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
IF SOMEONE TAKES AWAY YOUR FREEDOM FOR 23
YEARS, I DON'T KNOW.
>>IT IS THE LEAST WE CAN DO.
AT 1.8 .4 MILLION IS A LOT OF MONEY.
YOU AND I DIDN'T SPEND 23 YEARS IN PRISON.
WOULD YOU TRAIN YOUR LIFE FROM THE AGE OF 17 TO THE AGE OF 41
FOR $1.84 MILLION?
HELL NO.
YOU JUST TRADED AWAY YOUR LIFE.
WHAT IS THE POINT OF ALL THE MONEY?
>>HE SAYS I'M NOT LOOKING BACK, I AM LOOKING FORWARD.
I JUST WANT TO BE POSITIVE AND LOOK TOWARD MY FUTURE.
I AM GLAD HE IS THAT WAY.
I AM MAD FOR HIM AND I WANT SOME KIND
OF JUSTICE.