NOW IN SESSION
Burks murder conviction is under review after another man admits on-camera he was the shooter, not Burks who wasn’t even at the crime scene 22 years ago
A DEA agent convicted of perjury and another man admitting on television he was the fatal shooter in 1997 has resulted in a new hearing on Oct. 29 for Lamar Burks.
Burks has already served 19 years in prison for the murder that new evidence is showing he did not commit. TransMedia Group is representing Burks as the PR firm’s founder Tom Madden believes him to be innocent and also deserving a hearing in Court of Public Opinion.
According to investigative reporting by KPRC reporter Brandon Walker, the conviction of a former Drug Enforcement Administration Agent has raised new questions about the decades-old homicide case.
Burks was convicted of murder in 2000 for the shooting death of Earl Perry. Recent allegations of coercion, as well as newly uncovered evidence, has Burks’ murder conviction under review.
What happened?
Witnesses told Houston police a dice game resulted in a commotion and gunfire.
Burks was charged in Perry’s death and was tried and found guilty. A second man, Clayton Brown, was found guilty, as well. Brown served a five-year sentence.
Brown said on a televised KPRC investigative report that he pulled the trigger that night and Burks wasn’t even there. https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/1997-murder-conviction-under-review-after-corrupt-dea-agent-convicted-of-perjury
So, 19 years later, both Brown and Lewis have said Burks was not the gunman, nor was he at the scene. Burks has maintained he was in Opelousas, Louisiana for his sister’s wedding that week. Phone records and a photograph of Burks at the wedding corroborate his claim.
At the center of the investigation were two DEA agents – Chad Scott and Jack Schumacher. A federal jury convicted Scott on seven counts in August. Scott is accused of perjury, obstruction of justice and falsifying government records, among other allegations. The charges stem from Scott’s work as a DEA agent in Louisiana after he was transferred out of the Houston area.
Burks’ alleges Scott is guilty of the same in his case – and both Lewis and Brown now allege Scott coerced them into providing false statements, court documents said.
An evidentiary hearing is scheduled on Oct. 29 to consider new evidence showing Burks’ innocence.
The Lamar Burks Legal Defense Fund has been established to help meet the tremendous costs of legal representation: https://www.lamarburksdefensefund.com/contribute