A Georgia death row inmate says a prosecutor hid a plea deal with a key witness, tainting his trial

Associated Press

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Attorneys for an inmate who’s spent 25 years on Georgia’s death row are accusing a prosecutor of hiding a deal that they say casts doubt on the credibility of a crucial trial witness. Warren King was sentenced to death in September 1998 after an Appling County jury convicted him of murdering convenience store clerk Karen Crosby. King’s attorneys say in a July 8 legal filing that they have evidence the trial prosecutor, John B. Johnson, got King’s cousin and co-defendant, Walter Smith, to testify against him in exchange for sparing Smith from the death penalty. The lawyers say Johnson and Smith told the jury they had no deal. The Associated Press left a telephone message with Johnson on Wednesday.