The judge also found that there was clear and convincing evidence of johnsons innocence. After more than 28 years behind bars, he was more than a free man. 49yearold Lamar Johnson had finally been exonerated. Bailiff . Yes, sir. The hearing is adjourned. All rise this time, he would leave the courthouse not in a prison van, but in a black sedan. When i first met you, i asked you to identify yourself. My names Lamar Johnson. Ive been in prison for 26 years now. If i asked you to identify Lamar Johnson right now, what would you say . I am a free man. An exonerated man. And a blessed man. How important was it to have greg elking take the stand and tell the judge what he had done at trial . That was very important. He intentionally, you know, falsely identified me. But not only did he acknowledge that he made a mistake, he took steps to try to correct it and im extremely grateful to him for that. And during that time he spent in prison, he says he never forgot about his friend markus boyd,
damming assessment of the police response to the uvalde school shooting, what a newly released report reveals about cascading failures of leadership and decision making as 21 students and teachers were murdered. breaking news in donald trump s georgia election case. the hearing just scheduled on the misconduct allegations involving fulton county d.a. fani willis, and the special prosecutor she hired. also breaking news on the crisis in the red sea, we have just learned that the u.s. has launched a fifth round of strikes on the houthis as tensions rise in the region. and ready for launch, we are live at kennedy space center as four astronauts prepare to blast off. our nbc news reporters are following all of the latest developments, but we begin on the ground in uvalde with nbc justice and intelligence correspondent ken dilanian. i want to get into this extensive report from the justice department about the failures inside the walls of robb elementary. what more can you tel
disaster that sent toxic chemicals into a small community. tonight, we hear from residents who say they ve been dealing with eye infections and sore derailment. our team on the ground in ohio. a beloved catholic bishop known for peacekeeping in the in his residence near los death angeles. what we re learning about the investigation, and the victim who d been a priest and later a bishop for decades. a scare at an indoor waterpark, the new video coming in of a decorative helicopter falling into a pool, injuring multiple people. killed in the line of duty. a temple university police officer is gunned down, leaving behind his wife and four children. the suspect, just 18 years old, arrested miles away. his wrists placed in the slain officer s handcuffs. two deadly crashes involving teslas on both coasts, just days after that huge tesla recall. we remember richard belzer, who played the wisecracking detective john munch, one of tv s longest running characters. and final
plus, two jewish men shot outside of synagogues in los angeles on different days. tonight authorities say they re connected. the victims targeted for their religion. the federal hate crime charges just filed. the outrage in ohio. families waiting in long lines for help in east palestine two weeks after that toxic train derailment and new details on what may have caused this crash. the tragedy on the field. a 12-year-old dying after collapsing at football practice. the family says the ambulance took 30 minutes to arrive. what his mother says could have saved his life. and the book of 125,000 names, the story it tells and the deep connection for our correspondent. announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. and good evening. i m tom llamas in for lester tonight. they were sworn to protect, but today five fired memphis police officers were in a courtroom facing charges of murder that they beat tyre nichols so badly during his arrest last month that he died
norah: russia ramps up attacks on ukraine. this is the last ukrainian-held village before the russian front line about 3 miles in that direction. former south carolina governor and u.s. ambassador to the united nations nikki haley is running for president. she becomes the first major challenger to former president donald trump. norah: and remember that $2 billion powerball jackpot? today, the lucky winner revealed. edwin castro. [cheering] norah: good evening to our viewers in the west and thank you for joining us on this tuesday night. ahead, the new report that inflation is cooling but still too high. tonight, we take a look at what it means for you and the rising cost of car insurance nationwide. in tonight s money watch, we look at how you can save on your bill. also, on this valentine s day, we ve got the ultimate love story. two patients whose hearts literally brought them together. but first, we are learning more about the young lives cut sho