Two men charged with perjury after they recanted their stories in a 1993 murder case — resulting in the release of the convicted suspect — are close to learning whether they'll be convicted.
State District Judge Ben Willard in New Orleans is expected to announce his verdict Monday in the case of Kevin Johnson and Hakim Shabazz. Prosecutors say they should be punished for lying — whether it was when they were teenagers two decades ago, or as adults in 2014.
Their recantations helped the organization known as The Innocence Project New Orleans win freedom for Jerome Morgan, who was convicted in 1994 and spent 20 years behind bars. The victim in the case, 16-year-old Clarence Landry, died when a gunman opened fire at a party in 1993.