A St. Louis man, Lamont D. Cambell, who spent 11 years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit, has filed a lawsuit against the city and the detectives involved in his case. Cambell’s lawsuit claims that his wrongful conviction violated his constitutional rights and resulted from a faulty investigation. The lawsuit, filed on Monday, seeks unspecified damages, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The conviction stems from the 2011 killing of Lenny J. Gregory III, for which Cambell was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in 2017. However, a judge in 2022 overturned the conviction, ruling that Cambell’s attorney failed to adequately counter a weak case or explore an alternative suspect. The judge also discovered that investigators had not disclosed a romantic relationship between the lead homicide detective and a key witness.
In January, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s office formally dismissed the charges against Cambell, leading to his release. Cambell’s lawsuit alleges that the police disregarded faulty eyewitness identifications and evidence that pointed to another individual whose fingerprints were found on the passenger-side window of the SUV where Gregory was fatally shot. Furthermore, the lawsuit claims that Cambell had a solid and verifiable alibi for the night of the shooting.
The city spokesman declined to comment on the lawsuit. This case highlights the serious consequences of a flawed investigation and the potential violation of an individual’s constitutional rights. It underscores the need for thorough and unbiased detective work to ensure justice is served.
