From ‘King Tut’ to Exemplar of Change: Former NY Criminal Wins Freedom After Judge Revisits Life Sentence
New York City — Walter Johnson, a man once known by the moniker “King Tut” and infamous in New York’s criminal circles, was granted an unexpected second chance at freedom in 2023. In 1997, Johnson was handed five life sentences for a robbery and related crimes, but the trajectory of his fate shifted dramatically 26 years later when he was released by the very judge who had originally sentenced him. Johnson had faced a grim outlook after his 1996 conviction on charges that included robbery, witness tampering, and drug possession. His punitive journey through the … Read more