Chapter 1: What was the significance of Violet Ellison's testimony in Taforist Johnson's case?
last time on Ear Witness.
Molly Ellison walk in that door and stand up on this table and say what she said.
We got a full table now.
We got all the evidence we need.
Mrs. Ellison, would you tell us about the information that you have for us?
He asked my daughter to use her three-way to call for his homeboy, and he named the fellow's name as Tavares Johnson. We had a weak case. It's based on the testimony of one witness. The only evidence supposedly they had against him was this eyewitness who had never heard him speak before, who had no idea who he was.
This case is all about alternative worlds that are in conflict with each other and in conflict with truth and in conflict with what our justice system stands for. We forget sometimes that there was a third person on that phone who totally discredits what this lady say she heard. You know what I mean? And now how much closer can you get than that?
Why did the jury believe this woman who eavesdropped on the call over you who actually had the call? On the call. I don't understand.
I never understood it. You know, the victim's family deserve to know what happened to their loved one. But they get no justice, no peace out of a wrongful conviction. You know, and this is simply a case of just anybody will do.
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Chapter 2: How did the legal team uncover the truth behind the reward for testimony?
I'm here to talk about the reward that you got. And that's when she said, I didn't get a reward. I was like, oh, well, that's funny. I was like, I have some paperwork here that says you got a reward. And so basically, yeah, so I basically confronted her with the document. She said, oh, yeah, I did get a reward. Got $5,000.
After initially denying it, Violet Ellison told Jason the state paid her $5,000 for testifying against to Forrest Johnson.
We knew when we got the judge's order that he had authorized the payment, and then she told us that she got paid. So we knew it all. When you take a step back, he's on death row because the jury believed a woman who they didn't know was being paid for her testimony. And that should cause real concerns and questions about the validity of the conviction.
Taforist's legal team files a Brady claim against the state that argues the jury in Taforist's trial should have heard about the reward. Violet Ellison knew about the reward when she came forward and that the state suppressed the information on purpose. The state denies everything.
They deny any Brady violation, and they deny all of the allegations in Taforis' petition, including that Violet Ellison was motivated by the reward and that she was paid $5,000. But Taforis' legal team has evidence to the contrary, the court order that was faxed to them and Violet Ellison herself.
After the state submits a written denial of all of the charges brought by Taforist's legal team, the case heads to court. But Alabama courts won't hear the case. They say the reward doesn't qualify as Brady. So the appeal takes years to make its way through the courts. When Taforis and Ty first met, Taforis' five kids were all under the age of 10.
And as the Brady claim crawls through the legal system, 17 years go by. Taforis' oldest daughter has graduated college, and his four other kids are having kids of their own. Finally, Tafor's legal team gets the case in front of the United States Supreme Court. The justices tell the Alabama courts that they're wrong for not reviewing Tafor's Brady claim.
The state of Alabama must hear the evidence about the reward. Ahead of the hearing, Judge Teresa Pulliam gives the state very clear orders.
You have to turn over everything, everything that you have that concerns a reward payment, you have to turn it over to Mr. Johnson's lawyers.
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