Johnson now must try to convince state and lower federal courts to overturn his questionable murder conviction.

Johnson’s conviction for the killing of off-duty sheriff’s deputy William Hardy rested almost entirely on the “earwitness” testimony of a woman who claimed to be on a three-way call with Johnson and heard him confess to the killing. The woman had never met Johnson nor heard his voice, and Johnson’s attorneys, after the trial, learned that the woman had been paid $5,000 for her testimony. No physical evidence linking Johnson to the murder exists.