DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A man has been acquitted of murder and his attorney says surveillance video proves that police had the wrong man.
In an interview with Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne, Quintez Griffin said he wanted to share his side of the story and pronounced himself, in effect, innocent.
“An innocent man was involved in a case that he wasn’t involved in. it wasn’t no technicality, it was real facts,” Griffin told Winne on Wednesday, with his attorneys by his side.
DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston said in Brookhaven, in 2018, a pair of robbers shot Carthell “CJ” Johnson, Jr., killing him and wounding a friend.
Boston said the state took the extraordinary step of refusing to participate in the trial because two key witnesses were avoiding subpoenas and prosecutors couldn’t do justice without them.
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The judge acquitted Griffin and co-defendant Stephen McAllister.
“I won’t speculate as to why a judge would make the decision that they make,” Boston said. “We have an ethical obligation when we come into court. I’m not done.”
A prosecutor maintains the judge did have choices, but Griffin suggested this was no technicality.
“There is a killer walking around now that’s on video,” Griffin said.
Griffin’s attorney, Brian Steel, says surveillance video shows what authorities say were the two killers, one in a white hoodie and another in dark clothing behind him.
The one wearing dark clothing is alleged to be Griffin. Two experts say the man seen on video is at least 6 feet, 2 inches tall.
“How tall are you?” Winne asked Griffin.
“5 feet, 10 inches, no more than 5 feet, 10 and a half,” Griffin answered.
“Have you ever met Carthell 'CJ' Johnson Jr.?” Winne asked Griffin.
“No. I never seen him, not a day in my life,” Griffin said.
“Mr. Griffin has been locked up in the DeKalb County Jail for 13 months,” Steel said.
Steel acknowledged a prosecutor suggested it was "junk science" and a state expert attacked the methods used by one of his experts, but he said the video proves his client's innocence.
Drew Findling, attorney for McAllister, said his client is innocent and that cross-examination of one of the material witnesses the prosecution could not produce in court in time would have proven that.
“I know I wasn’t involved,” Griffin said. “I just put it in God’s hand and prayed every night.”
“There is also a victim’s family that is mourning,” Hudson said. “(There is a killer) and that killer is not Mr. Griffin.”
A prosecutor said the state had other evidence and did not believe they had the wrong men.
Hudson said Griffin was in the Fulton County Jail for Winne’s interview because of two charges that grew out of his incarceration in the DeKalb County Jail and out of a sex offense when he was 14.
He said one case has been dismissed and he anticipates he will be cleared on the other Thursday.
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