In 1997, Walter Johnson stood before Judge Frederic Block in a Brooklyn federal courtroom after being convicted of robbery, cocaine possession and witness tampering, just the latest in a troubling series of crimes that involved guns, drugs and violence.
Judge Block called Mr. Johnson, a street legend known as King Tut, “a classic example of a person who has to be incapacitated so society is protected against you.” Then he hit Mr. Johnson with five life sentences.
On Thursday, Judge Block called the punishment he imposed 27 years ago too harsh, the product of ill-considered laws and his own inexperience.
He freed Mr. Johnson, who hours later walked out of prison and back into society.
“Judges gain insights that with the passage of time only can come with experience on the bench and their judicial maturation,” Judge Block wrote in his decision granting Mr. Johnson’s petition for release.
Persons:
Walter Johnson, Frederic Block, Judge Block, Johnson, King Tut, Mr, Block, Johnson’s, ”
Locations:
Brooklyn