LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — The attorney for a man cleared of a murder charge shared her reaction to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police now pinning the crime on an alleged hitman.
Lt. Jason Johansson announced on Tuesday that Michael Coleman is accused of the 2021 murder of Marcus Larry in a Summerlin restaurant.
It’s one of four murder charges that have now been filed against Coleman, who was already in custody as he awaits trial.
LVMPD previously arrestedOscar Richardson for Larry’s murder, but last year prosecutors dropped the case after his defense team presented evidence that exonerated him.
“We were wrong in that investigation, and we moved forward with the arrest of Michael Coleman on that,” Johansson told reporters Tuesday.
Attorney Ashley Sisolak with the Clark County Special Public Defender’s Office told News 3 on Wednesday that with the help of her investigator, they convinced detectives and prosecutors that Richardson was innocent.
“We were able to pull that video, enhance the footage, and show that there was a neck tattoo on my client’s neck that was not on the shooter,” Sisolak said. “At the time, I took that information and contacted the district attorney’s office, and I said to the [deputy district attorney] assigned to the case, I said, ‘You’ve got the wrong guy.'”
She said she waited several days before receiving the news that the charges were being dropped.
“Then I got one of the greatest calls that I’m sure I will ever get in my career, which was that they were going to release my client,” Sisolak said.
Richardson currently lives in an undisclosed location for his own protection because of gang ties to the case, but Sisolak said she’s been in contact with his family and they are aware of Coleman’s arrest.
She said she’s happy that they will see justice, along with the woman who was wounded.
“It’s probably a once in a lifetime that I will get to say I walked an innocent man straight out of jail and back to where he should be,” Sisolak said.
She added that she’s grateful to the D.A.’s office and detectives who listened to her with an open mind and ultimately cleared Richardson.