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Bobbie Jean Johnson already had a tough life. Then, a wrongful conviction took decades away from her and ruined what little life she had left to live on the outside.
Her story is one that will show you that not every person who’s wrongfully imprisoned and released gets the happy ending they deserve.
40 years ago, Johnson was coerced into confessing to a murder she didn’t commit when police used brutal force and torture during her interrogation.
With cops violently threatening her life, she confessed and was sentenced to life in prison with hardly anyone to defend her.
In 1978, at 20 years old, she was in Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women. But she took advantage of the resources available. She took paralegal classes and mentored other young women, but soon developed health issues that the prison neglected.
Still, she fought for her life, appealing her case and making the best out of a horrible situation.
With help from the Innocence Project New Orleans, she was able to be freed after over 40 years.
The cops who tortured her had been exposed for doing so to others, too. Yet, part of the deal was she STILL had to plead guilty to lesser offenses.
She then was freed, but was not eligible for compensation.
She entered into a world completely different from what she had last seen on the outside. Her disability benefits took almost a year to come through and ultimately she passed away less than two years after her release.
But she made sure she told her story, and it shows people like her ALWAYS need compensation for injustices like this.