EUGENE, Ore. — Jesse Johnson, who spent 25 years in prison for a murder he insists he did not commit, has filed a lawsuit against two detectives and the city of Salem. Following the reversal of his conviction last year, Johnson claims he was wrongfully convicted due to racial profiling and negligence in the investigation.
The lawsuit, submitted on September 2 to U.S. District Court in Eugene, seeks unspecified punitive and compensatory damages. It implicates former Salem police detectives Mike Quakenbush and Donald Craig Stoelk, alleging they ignored crucial evidence and coercively constructed the case against him.
Johnson was sentenced to death in 2004 for the 1998 murder of 28-year-old Harriet Thompson. He spent 17 years on death row before being released on September 5, 2023, when the Marion County District Attorney’s Office dropped all charges against him. Since his release, he has moved back to his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas.
The lawsuit contends that the investigation was deeply flawed, with the officers fixating solely on Johnson, a Black man, while dismissing evidence that pointed elsewhere. Witness accounts indicated the presence of a white suspect fleeing Thompson’s apartment, but the detectives allegedly disregarded these leads in favor of pursuing Johnson.
Furthermore, Johnson’s legal team argues that the detectives manipulated statements from witnesses and coerced a drug dealer into falsely claiming that Johnson confessed to the murder. Evidence that would exonerate Johnson—such as DNA findings and footprints linked to the crime scene—was overlooked, according to the filing.
David Owens, one of the attorneys representing Johnson, emphasized the need for accountability in law enforcement. He stated that the lawsuit aims to secure justice for Johnson as well as to address systemic issues within the Salem Police Department.
Johnson has also submitted a separate claim against the state for compensation stemming from his wrongful conviction. Under a state law that stipulates $65,000 per year of wrongful imprisonment, he could potentially receive about $1.6 million.
The lengthy legal process faced by Johnson reflects not only his personal struggles but also the broader challenges inherent in seeking redress for wrongful convictions. Recently, a bill introduced in the Oregon Legislature aimed at expediting wrongful conviction compensation did not advance, leaving many like Johnson entangled in protracted legal battles.
As Johnson moves forward with his legal claims, his focus remains on obtaining the justice he believes he deserves after more than two decades of suffering from what he describes as a grave injustice.
