Through our social channels. We asked our listeners to name some of their favorite episodes, and Bobby Jeane Johnson's story rose to the top. Here is her heartbreaking story recorded in Atlanta at the Innis's Network conference in shortly before her untimely passing away later that year. Bobby Jeane Johnson was given up for adoption at birth and later molested while she was in foster care. She ran away from that horrible situation and tried to survive as a sex
worker on the streets of New Orleans. In v seven, and Antiquity's dealer named Arthur Sampson was found dead at his St. Charles Avenue shop. He had been shot once in the stomach with a thirty two caliber bullet and stabbed over one hundred times. The store was ransacked and safe was missing about two thousand dollars. A month after the murder, Bobby Jean was writing and what she did not know at the time was a stolen car with two men when they were pulled over by the police
for a traffic violation. One of the men stashed a knife and a thirty two caliber Bobert and Bobby Jean's purse at eighteen years old, Bobby Jeane Johnson was brought in for a violent interrogation that would change the course of her already tragic and vulnerable life. This is wrongful conviction. Welcome back to wrongful conviction. Today, I have a guest who is UM, one of the most extraordinary people with one of the most insane stories that I've ever heard,
and she's also just a beautiful, beautiful person. Um. So, Bobby Jean Johnson, Welcome to wrongful conviction. As I always say, I'm sorry you're here, but I'm glad you're here and everyone will find out why. UM. And with her is Kat Forrester, who is the communications director for the Insotance Project of New Orleans, also known as HYPNO. And Kat,
welcome to wrongful conviction. Thanks so much, bit to be here. So, Bobby Jean was freed from prison two eighteen after serving forty one years in prison for a crime she didn't commit. And this case has so many of the hallmarks of the causes of wrongful convictions that you know, it's almost a clean sweep, so to speak. I mean, there was misconduct, there was a false confession that you were tortured into making, incompetent defense. It's not even that's not even strong enough
of a word. And we're going to get into that all of that, But we're talking about the murder of Arthur Sampson, right, and this is an extremely violent crime. This was a white man who was an antiquities dealer in New Orleans who was shot and stabbed a hundred times. I mean, that's a vicious, vicious crime. And just to paint a picture for people who are listening, how tall are you? You're five ft tall and you're not a big man. Wasn't that big at the time. I was
like ninety eight pounds. Like in I Wall, size zero paints a couple my clothes out the children's section. So the whole thing makes no sense just on a purely physical level. And Mr Sampson, I mean, nobody deserves to die like he did. But he was a sort of a dicey character anyway, Right. He was known for bringing sex workers to his home, which is one of the reasons why the logical suspect would have been this woman who was a sex worker who was the last person
to see him alive. Yeah, she was the last person he was seen with by anyone right. So usually you know, we all watched those crime shows on TV. You know, you go down that path at least take a look, you know, But that's not what happened. Um, what year was this by You were an eighteen year old girl? Yeah at the time, so what was going on? You were living in New Orleans at the time, and I was like on drugs and stuff, right, So one night we was riding in a call. It was me and
two other dudes were running call in the cops. The police afters for traffic of valation. You were you driving? No, I wasn't driving right, And at the time when the police stopped us that one of the dudes that was in the care with me do the knife in a gun and my person so wouldn't because I know I didn't have no knife and gun in my purse. So when the police pulled all my stuff out my person, he said, oh, we got a knife and the gun.
I said that it's not for me. But they took us to Homotide on Division and they put us in different rooms and kept questioning us in questions, and I kept telling me, I don't know nothing about I don't even know where this place is at and I heard this man, and so one of the dudes to do they put the gun in and I didn't make a statement and said, I when y'all stopped this, I put that knife in that gun and Barby jeans that's not hers. I did that, and he made a statement. They just
ignored the statement. I meant, do you think they knew at the time that they has the wrong person, but they just wanted to clean up the case and that was what was really going on. Yeah, I think so. I mean, I think they had a pretty viable suspect and they didn't follow any of the leads and not other suspects case. Um. And I think that so often, particularly you know, back in the seventies, eighties, nineties in
New Orleans, particularly with black folks. I think that they, you know, the cops got tunnel vision and you know, when they found somebody and it seemed easy enough to pin it on that person, you know, even if all the evidence in the world pointed to someone else. So often they just got tunnel vision and um focused on one person and you know, force their theory of the case to fit to that person. So they knew they knew that this guy had come forward who admitted that
he had a classy guy. By the way, it's a cops coming. He's putting his his knife and he's going to be your purse. I mean, that's a hell of a thing. And when you were arrested, and if you're okay even talking about it, I mean what I've read about the interrogation that you went through this is like something out of you know, a bad movie, or out of a torture that you read about in in a foreign country or abu grabe, you know something like that.
I mean, you went to the police station and what happened, and then they put this in separate rooms, and uh, they kept throwing pictures in front me and they said this is him and this saim I said, well, I've never seen that man before. The yeah, the dead man or the Samson and then um one he hit me in my face. He said, no, listic or to the other room. So when they took me to the other room, they still was asking me. So when I kept saying
I don't know. I can't tell you nothing. I don't know, he said, oh, you're gonna know, and he called me a black bee and he put my hand got me to the back behind his like wooden chair and put a plastic bag over my head. The chair fell back, and they started kicking me in my ribs and all over and hit me. And he kept saying, black Bee, Yeah, you're gonna tell us because we know you know, we know you know, he said, Because let me tell you.
He said, ain't number of police officers in this in the station right here, and we could kill you and your family would never know nothing about. So I'm scared to that. And so he said, come on, we're going back. And there by the time he said you're gonna put on and if you don't, you'll get some more. And I was scared that I was crying and everything. I had five police officers standing up behind me and one sitting down who had the table cord. And he said,
now you're ready. I said, I I don't know that, he said. He turned the table off and he said, you're going to repeat what I said. He turned off yeah, and told me that. So I was so scared. I did everything that was telling me to put on tape. I put on tape, but it was a lie. I did it because I was scared. Well, yeah, you had a very good reason to be scared. I mean I was certain everywhere and even after the chif fell back with they was kicking me in my ribs and everything.
It was horrible. And Jason, I just wanted to say that, like, the world had not been kind to Bobby Jean before this all happened. You know, she had had a really tough up upbringing, and it makes so much sense that she would do anything to kind of survive, right this, this brutal police interrogation and eating thank you probably. Um yeah, I just feel like the world had not been kind
to her, had not offered her a lot of hope. UM. And I you know, I think because I was I was given away when my mom I had me and I had to go on like that. It was like I was scared, oh world of my shoulder. So I just got out there and I just wanted about it. Loved me and I just wanted to be accepted and stuff. So whenever it took for me to do that, I did it. And she was she was a young a young girl, as you keep kind of pointing out, you know,
who was doing the best she could with what she had. Um. And then and then this thing happened to her right, Yeah, then this thing happened. This is you know, there's been too many of these cases where we've learned that the officers have threatened to kill the person unless they confess. Johnny and caapy A is one thing of a year, guys in Texas. There's too many of these. And you know, Johnny says to me, he was on the podcast and he said, um, people ask me why would I confess?
And he was eighteen like you were, and uh, he says, why wouldn't I confess? He goes, I wanted to live, you know what I want? I just want. I wanted to be I was a young girl eighteen. You're really more of a child than a woman. I mean at that point, you know, I mean, we know that the adolescent brain doesn't fully develop until you're five, and here you are not just a younger but a little girl, right um pounds like you said, in a room full of big, tough guys who you would want to think
are gonna protect you, right um. And in fact they're threatening in a very real way. Right. It's not like it doesn't sound like an empty threat when you're putting a plastic bag over and being you and kicking you. I mean, so, I don't think there's any question, And I think it's so important that you're here, and I really appreciate you. I know it's difficult for you. I can see how difficult it is. But it's so important for the public to understand that these false confessions happened
for a variety of reasons. Not everybody's tortured, but a lot of people are psychologically coerced, or they're tricked, or they're you know, confused. So yeah, in your situation, I don't think anyone would probably behave any differently than you did. But then what a difficult thing to live with. Two, Because knowing as you're going to prison for the rest of your life that you are in a certain way responsible because you you know, you admitted something that you
didn't do. But but her confession didn't match the facts of the case anyway. No, she I mean she got a lot of of it wrong. Um, I mean, she didn't get much of it right actually, And that's also a typical thing in these false confession cases. After torturing her for hours, the police were able to extract the tapes confession, and that was riddled with inconsistencies. According to that false confession, Bobby Jeane and a woman named Kimberly
Legan had met Sampson in the French Quarter. Legan solicited him for sex. Then when he brought them back to his store, and again back to the false narrative that she created just to make the torture stop, she said, Bobby herself shot him once in the chest and once in the head, and then her friend Legan stabbed him over one hundred times. Then they robbed his store and sped off in a stolen Pontiac Grand Prix. Now for the actual facts, Arthur Sampson was shot only once in
the stomach. Bobby Jean described Sampson as being twenty years younger and a half foot taller than he was. And lastly, the Pontiac Grand Prix would not have made a good getaway car, as it was not stolen until hours after the murder. The man who had stashed at threty two caliber revolver and knife her purse had made a statement admitting to just that, but that back was inconvenient to the prosecution's narrative and was therefore hidden from the defense.
All of this could have been brought up during trial if Bobby Jean had adequate counsel. However, with no family and no backup whatsoever, her Bobby Jean didn't have a chance in help. Now you're taking to jail. How long did you have to wait for your trial? Eighteen months? Eighteen months in jail? And I know how bad that must have been, because jails, I mean anywhere terrible, but
in New Orleans. Um, it's infamous. Yeah, your trial was. Um, it was like the combination of a bad dream and a bad joke because the people who were supposed to be defending you did nothing of the sort. And can you talk about that? Yeah, okay, Um, doing my trial, my lawyer wouldn't let me get understanding and talking my own defense. He fell asleep during the trial. Your lawyer was asleep. Yeah, he fell asleep during the trial. I
had to wake him up. And he didn't do no opening statements, no opening statements, and no clue was in statements. And um, one of the jurors stood up and stay till the jewels. I cannot give miss Johnson a fair truck because I had a relationship with this man. The
jud said, be seated with the victim. Yeah, and he Um, and na know because when I was imprisoner, took fairly when I graduated from it, But my lawyer should have called a mistrial when that Jews stood up and he didn't say not a world and the judge said, just let's let's please proceed. I mean, I've been doing this work for over twenty five years and I've heard a lot of stories. I've never heard that before. I mean, I've heard stories of jrors that had but I never
heard a juror actually stand up and add too. She raised her hand and she said, yeah, I cannot get this lady a fair trial because I had a relationship with Mr Samson, and so your lawyer was asleep. You're waking him up. He made no opening statement, he made no closing statement, and he didn't object to that lady didn't call him miss trial. He made one objection throughout the trial, to the admission of a photograph um. He has a total of eight cross examination questions, the majority
of which dealt with the ballistics of the gun. No opening and no closing, and he presented no case theory. He essentially did nothing except Jake and nep do Yeah, I mean, he didn't defend you so much as process. You right, Even when I was in jail, when they appearented him to me, he never came seeing me. Only time I seen him was in a court and sometimes when they would have court dates from me, but he wouldn't be there, so they would postpone it to another day.
Oh so that's why I took a ten months to get to trial. Yeah, because he wouldn't show up. He wouldn't show up. Did at any point did you request a different lawyer? Did you even know that you? I didn't know. I was young and I didn't know, and you probably. I mean, I would think in that situation, nothing about the law, right, And I would think again in that situation, that you would be worried if you did request when then you can upset the only guy who's on your side right now? Did you have any
family in the courtroom with you or anything like that? Nobody? Did you all alone? Jesus Christ to them less than an hour to come back with a guilty verdict. Yeah. So when I got to prison, at first, I wasn't because I was angry. I was angry and I was hurt. That's when I was I started fighting all this. It didn't matter no more because I had It was like, well, Baptine, you've got a life sentence. Now it's nothing you could do.
You to going to die in this prison. But then I started praying and praying and praying and won't the last fight I had. I remember I was in this cell. I just felt to my knees and I said, God, just take my life. I'm I'm tired of living. Like, just take my life and do what you want to do with it. And from that data this was I ain't been the same. I grew up, I got more
mature and I did everything I could do. They was they was offering on the g D. So I know I have been out of school a few months and stuff, and I got in this trouble because I know I was a small girl. I had just I hadn't graduated. I dropped out at the eleventh grade. And um so I took the g D and I passed the g D. It was giving grand self for introduction in the business payroll accountant and pail league. First I took the pair
of legal one and I passed with a four partow. Yeah, and I studied hard, or I studied hard because I wanted it. And I wanted. I did everything I could to rehabilitate myself in every kind of way. It was nothing I didn't do positive in jail. I had fights in jail because I was small, and they thought I was scared of him, but I wasn't. And I had fights with quite a few people. But I grew and I mature. I did everything I know to do right. I was a law curtin and all this in the prison.
When I got into the oh, the law librry, I started writing to everybody to try to help me. One day, my sisters, they just sent me all of your papers on my Brittish Innocent project. And when I sent them on to they got and they started working on my case immediately. Every two weeks they would be up there to see me and they tell me how the case was going on. And then the day oh, I went to quote on the seven. I didn't even know I had a quote on the day. Oh, it's a it's
if I having John to get ready. You got a culturrip, I said, a Coultripny all have never taken me back to court, so I didn't know what was going on. So I said, okay. When I got dressed. They brought me the carhouse and all my all it was in the court room for me. All lawyers, yes, but all my lawyers walked up with me to the podium when
I had to do the league in everything. For many long years, both the Promise of Justice Initiative and the Innocent Project of New Orleans worked tirelessly on Bobby Jean's case, investigating leads, studying the and identifying the inconsistencies in her violently courced false confession to eventually force the District Attorney's
office to offer a plea deal. The deal was this her first degree murder conviction and life sentence would be vacated, but Bobby Jean had to plead guilty to manslaughter and armed robbery in order to be re sentenced to time served. Her attorneys also had to drop any claims that the d A's office did not turn over exculpatory evidence. This was not the outcome that they or anyone who cared about Bobby Jean, had hoped for, but it was the
only one that would set her free. It's really sort of the last miserable aspect of this case is the fact that even after all these years and even after it's been proven that you had nothing to do with this, they still wouldn't admit their mistake, right because they wanted to maintain the conviction. They want to make sure you
didn't get anything for it. So the d a's office in New Orleans forced you to take a plea you, um, just to sort of could be free as the work was the only way that you take this fleet or you stay in prison. Right, I think anybody would do what you did. And and Cat, I want you to jump in here anytime, because I know you're intimately familiar with this case, and I know how proud you are of the work that as I am as a supporter of in this project New Orleans, I'm so proud of
the work that they did, and I'm so happy. I mean, I saw those pictures when and I posted on my Instagram, um, which is at it's Jason flam as people know, but I posted the pictures of Bobby Jean walking out of prison that day and just my heart was breaking or or or floated. I was breaking, My heart was breaking, and I was floating in the air, and it was a whole crazy thing. Can you shine some light on this, Cat,
because this, this case is bizarre even by our standards. Yeah. Absolutely. So. It was a case that we worked on for for several years. UM. One of the attorneys in our office, Treil Arnold, worked on it for a long time and it ended up being UM the Promise of Justice Initiative, incredible organism Asian in New Orleans who ended up freeing
Bobby Jean and walking her out of prison. But we were there because she was, you know, the first female client who we had really worked on her case for for for a long time and had a really good lead and and and part of that is because, as you know, Jason, I'm sure you know, women aren't often sentenced to life in prison or long prison sentences, which is what HYPNO does is free innocent life sentence prisoners UM.
And and and women so often are caught up in things that men do right there, or they harm or kill their domestic abusers. UM. And so this was you know, really exciting for us, I think because it was the first time that we'd worked with a woman UM for a number of years. UM. And of course Bobby Jean is just incredible, and you know, I think having her
come home. UM. I actually came and hung out with her in Atlanta when she got home, and we went to the aquarium and um started learning how to use a cell phone and as as I think, we showed you some pictures and UM, it was a really incredible moment. I you know, can't imagine being incarcerated for forty one years. No, I mean, when you put that in context, that's I mean, you were only eighteen at the time, so that's twice as long as you had been alive, plus another five years.
I mean, it's it's impossible I think for anybody to comprehend who hasn't been through it. Jesus, who was president when you went to prison, I don't remember. I don't know Jimmy Carter was president. That's yeah. I mean it's a lot most of the people who are listening to the show weren't born yet. Um, and everything was different, Um, and then you come out into a world where everybody's walking around typing on their phones, cross's going everywhere, like
there's just everything is different. When I have my first phone in my hand, was like, oh my god. Kay. She had assume me everything. I had to turn it on and everything. First thing she wanted was an Instagram account. What is it? What is your Instagram account? I don't know.
She doesn't know, Bobby Jean. So you walk out, I mean, what what the difference you You go in as it's scared, brutalized, young, nineteen twenty year old woman, but eighteen when you went to jail um and you come out as a an accomplished, mature, fifty nine year old woman. You walk out into a world that looks almost nothing like it did when you went in. It was New Orleans. Don't look nothing like it did when I went in. I mean I almost forgot the names of the streets. That's how defferently looked
to me. Yeah, I had five my lowers with me, and it was just, I don't know. It was a feeling I never had before. I used to pray everything, God, you are only witn't it? And you know I didn't kill nobody, Just open these doors and help me. Every night I prayed that in my room. It was so awk for me. Here we are at the Innocence Network conference. By the way, how about this conference, Bobby love it?
It's amazing. Yeah. So we're here at the Innsence Never conference with about two hundred exonorees and six hundred UM people, activists, social workers, UM civilians who want to get involved. Two of them are in the room with us right now. Um. We have lawyers here, we have experts on everything from you know, false confessions to uh, you name it, and uh, it's an awesome, awesome thing. I mean, people are connected and strategizing and coming up with best practices and helping
each other. And yeah, I mean we have we have thirty five new exonorees here that we're on stage last night singing and dancing and it was just some crazy scene. Man, it's amazing, including you. Yeah, yeah, I saw you up there. Had to feel to be up there, Poppy Jane, it was it feel good? It feel good for you to
connect with the other exonorees. What is that experience? Like, it's just like because I just don't I said, I knowing it that many people there both convictions and it made me feel good to know that I was I was. I wasn't the only one. Oh no, hell no, but I didn't know it at the time, but it really feel good and to know how much love this we showed each other. Mm hmm. Yeah, we ain't done yet. We're gonna be loving on you for the well for the rest of the time, but especially the less next
twenty four hours. And we're all gonna be here together. It's gonna be a amazing um. And I know that people are are so glad that you're here. It's amazing, right, Yeah, I mean, I'm so honored to be here and be a part of this movement. Um. I will tell anybody who's listening that, Um. You know, I call it selfish altruism because I consider it a privilege and an honor to get to be around people like yourself and to be able to make some small difference is uh. You know,
it's the most rewarding thing in my life. I mean, you know, obviously you know, I'm a father and that's a tremendously important thing to me. But beyond that, it's the most important work that I can imagine being involved with. And you're a living proof of it. And and here we are celebrating you and celebrating freedom and working on getting the next people out and and so now you're living in Georgia, Gia the Cator, and what gives you join? Now?
Do you have any joy in your life? Now? I have plan enjoy in my life now because it's like living where I live. I can come and go with that. Please. Anybody could come get me and like take me wherever they want to see me. Like if they want to take me out did or whatever, I could do it. And they have a lot of activities because I'm because I'm because of my age. They have a lot of activities for all. And I always attended. They have church service.
I always attended, and they treat me good. And what is the thing you do once a month Bobby Jean, Oh, I'll go to George's Innocent Project. I'm a man of the George's Innocent Project and I never missed a meeting. I'm always there. Yeah, they've really lovingly taken her into the egonary meetings that happened once a month there so she gets to hang out with other wrongfully incursory to people who live in Georgia. Yeah, I see you got the shared on George you go. What did Georgia Innocent
Project shirt? I say, yeah, I don't have one for all? If no where, I mean to get you a justice shirt. I know I have a justice sir. I need me more. I think we can arrange that you got that one. I got it, Okay. Perfect teamwork makes the dream work. Um. So this is the part of the show that is my favorite part because this is the part of the show where I get to First of all, I thank you well, thank you for having me, Bobby, Gene Johnson,
and Cat Forrester. Thank you for coming and and sharing, especially Bobby obviously Bobby Jeane for I know how difficult it is to talk about these things, and it's so important that you're here. Um, So, you know, thank you on behalf of me and all my listeners and everybody in the Innocence Network. And then this is the part where I get to stop talking, and um, I turned it over to you two fabulous ladies for final closing thoughts.
Um and I think we should we should finish with you, Bobby, because um, I want to hear anything you have to say, any anything at all about any subject. But first, Cat, what what are your closing thoughts. I'm just so glad that we have to get her home. And I was thinking about it because we're at the aquarium last night for the Innocence Network dinner, and we went to the aquarium right after she got out and to see the joy on her face, you know, at like you know,
seeing very cool fish. Um was just unparalleled um. And I'm just so glad to have been able to experience that with her and to see, you know, how many new things she gets to explore in this life now that she's a free, a free woman. Yeah, it was amazing to me. Because the Querama would always say to the shore, don't tee how I used to say, I want to go there. I want to go there. So when KT him and she said, you want to go to the aqua and when she did, it was like
a joy. A lot of George just jumped on my face. I said, yeah, I want to go. I want to go, kid, I want to go see you. And when I came seeing it was so beautiful. I just it was so amazing. Now Here but cat led me all the way through and she was there. If Nowhere has been there for me, I can call him in any given time or whenever, and if it's a problem I have, they will do their best to fix it. Or if I like sometimes I used to get depressed and stuff and I used
to call him me and talk. And Angelique has been marvelous. Oh, my gosh, she has been great. She client services specialists. Yes, she has been great, no matter what. If she can't call me back at the time, she had takes me back and say I'll call you in a few minutes, just hold on and um. But then it has been great and it's and I'm happy to be home. I'm happy. I'm happy, more happy now than I've ever been in my life. I didn't I never knew so much love and stuff, but now I do, and it's it's great.
It's just that they took a lot of away from me. It took everything away from me for nothing but something that I didn't even do. I lost everything. Oh, my youth was gone. And I just want to thank you Jason for having me. Wow, we're gonna be here for you too. Um. Do you have a whole new family now. You got family members here now, and you've got a lot more that are listening to the show. And so um you're you're a brave and strong and amazing woman and we're gonna support you in every way we can.
So UM, so again, thank you for being here, Thanks again for listening. Um, I'm gonna go try to recover. That's what I'm gonna do and uh and and we'll see you next week. I'm wrong for conviction. I have some devastating news to share. Um. Bobby Jane Johnson, who I recorded this razing, haunting episode with, passed away. Um. It was unexpected. I'm no doctor, but I can say that she died of the abuse and neglect that she suffered at the hands of the State of Louisiana during
her forty one years of wrongful incarceration. Bobby was an angel on earth. She was just a beautiful, damaged soul who wanted nothing but to be loved and to help others. And she was out less than eighteen months when she died. And I bring that up because it's a sort of a hidden and horrible truth. I don't know the statistics nationally, but in the state of Louisiana, approximately of axonorees die within eighteen months of their release from prison. It's really
hard for me to process this one. We were planning Bobby's birthday party when we got the news. She had called me and said that she called me, Mr j She called me. She called me, she says, Mr Ja. She goes, you know, my birthday is coming up. And she said I in her little voice because you know, she's only about ninety something pounds, and she said, uh, you know, I've never had a happy birthday. And you know that really just messed my head up, as you
can imagine. So we begin planning myself. Stacy Ryan, who mentored her hero of the band, UM wonderful rock and roll band that I worked with from Atlanta. We all were putting our resources together and planning a big, beautiful birthday celebration for her in Atlanta. And you know, just a week before it was supposed to happen, we got the news that she was gone. So um, Bobby Jean, You're gone, but never forgotten. Rest in power. Thank you
for listening to Wrongful Conviction. I'd like to thank our production team, Connor Hall, Jeff Clyvern, a Ken Awards, with research by Lila Robinson. The music in this production was supplied by three time OSCAR nominated composer Jay Ralph. Be sure to follow us on Instagram at Wrongful Conviction, on Facebook at Wrongful Conviction Podcast, and on Twitter at Wrong Conviction,
as well as at Lava for Good. On all three platforms, you can also follow me on both TikTok and Instagram at it's Jason flom Raleful Conviction is the production of Lava for Good podcasts and association with Signal Company Number one