Chapter 7 | Messy

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Bone Valley S4E7 | Earwitness – “Chapter 7: Messy”

Podcast: Bone Valley (Lava for Good Podcasts)
Host: Beth Shelburne
Episode Release Date: February 4, 2026
Case: The wrongful conviction of Toforest Johnson for the 1995 murder of Deputy Sheriff William G. Hardy

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Episode Overview

In "Chapter 7: Messy," investigative journalist Beth Shelburne probes deeply into the credibility of Violet Ellison—the star “earwitness” whose uncorroborated testimony is the linchpin of Toforest Johnson’s death row conviction. Beth and producer Mara McNamara unravel a troubling pattern in Ellison’s involvement in multiple criminal cases, exposing severe flaws and conflicts within the justice process. Through interviews with people whom Ellison testified against, her acquaintances, and even her own grandchildren, the episode reveals a complex, compromised, and deeply messy portrait of the prosecution’s main witness.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Importance of Violet Ellison’s Credibility (02:23, 09:05)

• Central Role: The entire case against Johnson rests on whether Violet Ellison genuinely and truthfully "overheard" him confess to the murder in a three-way phone call. There is no physical evidence or corroboration beyond her testimony.
• Beth’s Core Argument: If Ellison isn’t credible, “there is no case against Toforest Johnson.”

  “Because without her, without her credibility, there is no case against Taforest Johnson.” (09:00, Beth Shelburne)

Pattern of Ellison Testifying in Multiple Cases (05:46 – 09:00)

• Database Discovery: Beth finds that, aside from Johnson’s conviction, Ellison has acted as a state witness in at least four other serious criminal cases.
• Questions Raised: Ellison's recurring role as a witness, often under dubious circumstances, raises suspicions about her motivations and reliability.
• Marika Wilson’s Reaction:

  “Y'all need to help them people, because she's not credible... How does she keep popping up in all these serious cases and being witnesses? Like, that don't sound right… It doesn't.” (08:20, Marika Wilson)

Victim Testimonies: Marika Wilson’s Case (03:12 – 06:23)

• Wrongful Charge: Marika, wrongfully accused of attempted murder, describes how Ellison’s false testimony almost cost her decades of her life.
• Discredited in Court:
  • Defense proved that Ellison could not possibly have seen what she claimed due to a tree outside her window.
  • The jury acquitted Marika, but her life was devastated.
• Lingering Trauma:

  “Even though I was acquitted, I couldn’t get a job, a decent job to take care of my kids. I lost my place… lost custody of my kids. Something I didn’t even do.” (04:18, Marika Wilson)

Other Ellison Testimonies: Patterns of Falsehood

• Pastor James Johnson Case (15:19)

  • Ellison accused Johnson of abuse at a church school; charges later dropped, other staff corroborated his account that Ellison was lying to take over the school.
  • Johnson on Ellison:

    “She was a liar… I forgave her every lie that was told. I’m free. But she's not a person I trust.” (15:22, 15:58, Bishop Johnson)

• George Holloway’s Case (17:42 – 23:05)

  • Involved in domestic disputes—Ellison was a witness though he claims she was not present.
  • Holloway’s view:

    “She’s very vindictive...She’s a very messy lady. Very messy.” (18:32, George Holloway)
    “She’ll do anything possible if money is involved, even go to the extent to lie.” (21:41, George Holloway) “She would do anything... to keep her son out of trouble.” (22:00)

Alleged Motivations: Money and Protecting Family

• Money: Many interviewees believe Ellison’s involvement is motivated by payment—in Johnson’s case, she was secretly paid a $5,000 reward.
• Family: Multiple sources and family members describe Ellison covering for her son “Red,” a career criminal with an extensive record who nevertheless avoided prison time.
• Beth’s Investigation:
  • Finds no documentation of quid-pro-quo deals for Ellison’s testimony but notes these are rarely explicit in records.
  • Shady judicial leniency for Red around the time of key cases raises plausible questions.

Family Members’ Testimonies: Shattering the Official Narrative

• Ellison’s Granddaughter, Tyce Davis (29:10 – 33:10)

  • Estranged from her grandmother; describes her as “money hungry” and willing to say anything for cash.

  • "She'll say anything to get money… I hate that this man could be innocent, and for $5,000 he's on death row." (33:10, Tyce Davis)

• Ellison’s Grandson, Tony (34:09 – 37:28)

  • Calls her a “true scam artist.”
  • Describes her lifelong pattern of involving herself in other people’s criminal affairs, always for personal benefit.
  • On reward in the Johnson case:

    "She ain't that type that's just gonna help somebody just to help them. It gotta have money involved.” (34:24, Tony)

  • On Johnson’s fate:

    "I hate that man going through that. I really hate that. Then and I—to the point. It's a chance he can lose his life for $5,000." (37:21, Tony)

The State’s Case vs. Community Characterisation (39:11 – 41:59)

• Beth’s Conclusion: Despite a lack of airtight documentary evidence of all Ellison’s alleged lies and motives, an overwhelming body of testimony—including from family—contradicts the image presented by prosecutors.
• The Prosecution’s Portrayal: In court, Ellison was shown as a good citizen, troubled by her conscience, unaware of rewards, and seeking justice. Over a dozen independent interviews say otherwise.

Lingering Doubts: The Prosecutor’s Second Thoughts (41:59)

• Jeff Wallace, the original DA: Now questions the original case and has reached out to Johnson’s legal team supporting a new trial.

  "Twenty years later he's saying, I think it should be undone. I mean that to me takes courage that most lawyers don't have." (42:30, Beth)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 04:18 | Marika Wilson | "Even though I was acquitted, I couldn’t get a job… I lost custody of my kids. Something I didn’t even do." | | 08:20 | Marika Wilson | "How does she keep popping up in all these serious cases and being witnesses? Like, that don't sound right… It doesn't." | | 15:58 | Bishop Johnson | "I don't trust her. She's not a person I trust." | | 18:32 | George Holloway | "I know she's very vindictive...She's a very messy lady. Very messy." | | 21:41 | George Holloway | "She'll do anything possible if money is involved, even go to the extent to lie." | | 29:56 | Tyce Davis | "So there's not like, warm feelings. Yeah." | | 33:10 | Tyce Davis | "I hate that this man could be innocent, and for $5,000 he's on death row. $5,000."| | 34:24 | Tony | "That's a true scam artist. That's a true… I hate to say it. I know that's my grandma, but that's a true scam out of there. Any way she can get a dollar telling you she ain't that type that's just gonna help somebody just to help them. It gotta have money. Oh, it got. It gotta have money involved."| | 37:21 | Tony | "I hate that man going through that. I really hate that… It's a chance he can lose his life for $5,000."| | 09:00 | Beth Shelburne | "Because without her, without her credibility, there is no case against Taforest Johnson."| | 42:30 | Beth (on Jeff Wallace) | "Twenty years later he's saying, I think it should be undone. I mean that to me takes courage that most lawyers don't have."|

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:23-09:00] – The case turns on Ellison's credibility; discovery of her as a serial witness.
• [03:12-06:23] – Marika Wilson’s firsthand experience of Ellison’s false testimony.
• [15:19-16:14] – Bishop Johnson recounts how Ellison fabricated abuse claims.
• [17:42-23:05] – George Holloway’s account of Ellison’s role in his domestic violence case.
• [29:10-33:10] – Granddaughter Tyce Davis describes Ellison’s money-driven testimony.
• [34:09-37:28] – Grandson Tony exposes more family dirt, sharing childhood experiences with Ellison and her son Red.
• [39:11-41:59] – Summary of contradictory portrayals and reflection on the prosecution’s narrative v. reality.
• [41:59-42:42] – DA Jeff Wallace now advocates for a new trial.

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Tone & Style

Beth Shelburne narrates in a clear yet hauntingly compassionate tone, often letting her sources' own words and emotions emphasize the horror and absurdity of the deep systemic failures. Family members’ frank, sometimes anguished testimony is left intact, providing an unvarnished look at the stakes and devastation involved.

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Conclusion

“Chapter 7: Messy” shreds the prosecution’s neat story and lays bare the tangled, self-serving, and unreliable history of the state’s key witness, Violet Ellison. Interview after interview—especially those with her own family—showcases a woman who is anything but the impartial, conscientious citizen she was painted to be in court. The episode leaves listeners with profound doubts about Johnson’s conviction, the justice system that sanctioned it, and the ominous power wielded by a single unscrupulous witness.

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For more: Visit lavaforgood.com/earwitness for behind-the-scenes reporting, evidence, and further reading.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

We knew the reward was offered because it was all over the papers, but we didn't know who got it or if Violet Ellison got it.

[C]

She was a very credible witness. We believed her. Obviously we believed her because we convicted him. And it was on her testimony.

[A]

When I showed up at her house, she said I didn't get a reward. I was like, oh, well, that's funny. I was like, I have some paperwork here that says you got a reward.

[B]

We got an email that said we found these documents. They had been misfiled and here they are.

[A]

Does that sound strange to you or do you have any idea how that could have happened?

[D]

The AG's office, if they said it.

[A]

Got misfiled, then I guess it got misfiled. Human error, I guess.

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

Do you think that your impression of her would have been different had you known she was being paid 5,000 doll?

[C]

I, I definitely believe we would have.

[A]

As a jury talked about that.

[C]

Like, how credible is this testimony she's being paid for?

[E]

Like, I had never been in trouble a day in my life ever before. Then I'm going to jail and I'm like, I've never been to jail a day in my life. Ever, ever, ever. Never had gotten any trouble, anything.

[A]

I'm sitting on the couch in a tiny one bedroom apartment in Birmingham. It's warm outside. The door is open to let in a breeze. I'm talking with Marika Wilson, who's telling me and my producer Mara about a defining experience of her life. Being charged with attempted murder in 1997 when she was 20 years old. A crime she did not commit. The crime happened late at night when one woman and two men tried to rob a man in Birmingham. They broke into his house and shot him. He almost died. Marika was accused of being the woman who participated in the crime, but she says she wasn't there. It was someone else.

[E]

I wouldn't take no plea deal. They offered me 22 years of my life for something that I didn't even do. And I said no. I fought to the bitter end.

[A]

A jury found Marika not guilty. But the ordeal left lifelong scars.

[E]

It has still just bothered me all these years about what I went through. You know what I'm saying? Every time I applied for a job, even though I was acquitted, I couldn't get a job, a decent job to take care of my kids. I lost my place. I didn't have a shirt to put on my back. Then I lost custody of my kids. Behind that, I was up against all type of odds in that situation. Something that I didn't even do.

[A]

But she.

[E]

She, yeah, that woman did get up there and say she seen me.

[A]

The woman Marika is referring to is the witness who testified against her, a neighbor of the victim who said she'd seen the crime unfold from her living room window. At 2am she told the jury she saw Marika and two other people break down the victim's door and assault him. The woman's name? Violet Ellison. So do you remember Violet Ellison?

[E]

I remember her getting up there saying she seen me through the window. She was wrong.

[A]

She was wrong.

[E]

Yes, ma'. Am. It wasn't me. They discredit her at my trial. They made her look horrible. I remember her like she just got up there and pointed at me.

[A]

Marika's attorneys showed the jury that Violet Ellison's view from her living room window was blocked by a tree. There was no possible way she could have seen Marika or anyone else on her neighbor's porch.

[C]

So she was a big part of.

[A]

The case against you.

[E]

And she lied under oath. Literally, literally lied under oath.

[A]

Violet Ellison testified against Marika less than four months after she served as the star witness against Taforest Johnson. Their trials happened in the same year in the same courthouse, prosecuted by the same da's office. In both cases, Violet Ellison knew the victim, spoke to detectives, and became a lead witness. Mara and I find ourselves in Marika Wilson's living room a few weeks after I made a lucky discovery in Alabama's database of online court records. One afternoon, I'm sitting in my office, poking around in the database. It's a clunky website with all these different dropdown menus. I'm running searches on Violet Ellison's name, trying her name in a bunch of different ways, getting the same results, when all of a sudden, I hit enter and bloop. A new list pops up. Criminal cases, all naming Violet Ellison as a state's witness. So in addition to Tafora's case, I discover that Violet Ellison has been a witness for the state in four other criminal cases. Marika Wilson was the first person that we tracked down who Violet Ellison had testified against. When I first called Marika, I told her about the four other cases Violet was involved in as a witness. Right. We know of five different criminal cases.

[E]

Is these folks convicted because of her?

[A]

Several of them, yeah.

[D]

Wow.

[F]

Wow.

[E]

Oh, man. Y' all need to help them people, because she's not credible. I said that to my husband about that woman. I said, baby, they said this woman don't been involved in several cases. Like, is she on a payroll or something? I. It just sound like something crooked going on with me. Because how does she keep popping up in all these serious cases and being witnesses? Like, that's. That don't sound right. I'm sorry. It doesn't.

[G]

Wow.

[E]

And that boy on death row because of this lady.

[F]

Oh, wow.

[E]

There's something going on with that, y'.

[B]

All.

[A]

In order to believe in Taforest Johnson's conviction, you have to believe that Violet Ellison was truthful when she said that she overheard Taforest talk about killing Deputy Hardy, that she wasn't after the reward money because she didn't know about it. You have to believe that Violet Ellison is credible. So we need to know everything we can about Violet Ellison. Because without her, without her credibility, there is no case against Taforist Johnson. Do you hear my manners? Laughter hides my feelings Sorrow's depths are endless.

[F]

In this valley of tears.

[A]

I want to see a revelation I want to know Know who you are.

[F]

I'm.

[A]

Reaching out in desperation to the one who's holding the star to the one who's holding the star. I'm Beth Shelburne. This is Ear Witness, chapter seven, Messy. Why have I asked my H Vac guy I found on angie.com to change my grandpa's trachea tube? Because I was so amazed by how quickly he replaced our air ducts, I knew I could trust him to change Pop Pop's tube while I was on vacation. Make it quick, young man. Aw. See? Pop Pop trusts you.

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[A]

Thy ticket, lady Jennifer of Coolidge. Well, many thanks, good sir. Here is my Discover card. They accept Discover at Renaissance fairs? Yeah, they do. Here. Discover is accepted at the places I love to shop. Get it with the times.

[F]

With the times.

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

In January of 2022, Mara and I start trying to track down the other people Violet Ellison testified against. We spend a lot of time in my car. Full days. Sometimes I pack mom snacks. Healthy stuff like hummus and baby carrots. Raw almonds. Maybe a diet Dr. Pepper. On a hard day. Marika was the first person we were able to find. The second case that listed Violet Ellison as a witness was a second degree assault between two men who got in a fight. The case ended in a plea deal, so she never actually testified. We weren't able to Figure out exactly why she was listed as a witness. We tried very hard to talk to the man charged in the case, but never could reach him. And then there was the third case. It involved a local pastor named Bishop James Johnson, who was accused of inappropriately touching and kissing three teenaged girls at his Church Run school in 1993. Violet Ellison was a school employee who testified about the alleged abuse. But Bishop Johnson maintained he was falsely accused and that Violet Ellison was lying. The charges against him were eventually dropped by the state. We talked to bishop Johnson, who's now in his late 80s, at his house in a suburb of Birmingham. And he told us Violet Ellison made up the accusations in an effort to get rid of him. Because she wanted to run the school.

[E]

Yes.

[A]

She was a part of my church.

[E]

She was a liar.

[A]

We talked to one other school employee who corroborated what Bishop Johnson told us, that Violet Ellison made up the allegations. I tried to find some of the alleged victims in this case, but I wasn't able to track them down. Bishop Johnson said he's forgiven Violet Ellison. That's over. Thank God it's over.

[E]

I have nothing to hold against her. I forgave her every lie that was told. I'm free.

[A]

But he said she is not a trustworthy person.

[E]

I don't trust her. She's not a person I trust.

[A]

George Holloway is the next person on our list of people that Violet Ellison testified against. What we know from court records is this. Between 2008 and 2016, George Holloway was charged in several domestic violence incidents involving his girlfriend. But unlike Marika Wilson and Bishop James Johnson, George Holloway pleaded guilty to his charges, which included violating a protective order. Twice. He was sentenced to three years in prison. The documents don't show why Violet Ellison was a witness against George Holloway. So Mara and I get in the car and drive around for hours, knocking on doors with the list of possible home addresses with no luck. Finally, we pull up to the last address on our list. Around sunset, a small brick house in Bessemer. We're here. You know, it's always a gamble, but let's just give it a whirl. At the same time, a truck stops at the top of the house's driveway. Can you.

[C]

Are we blocking you?

[A]

And out hops a man wearing grass stained work clothes and a neon green shirt. Are you going to this house? We're looking for Mr. George Holloway. Is that you?

[G]

My name is George.

[A]

That's you. Okay, George. I'm sorry to show up here like this. We are journalists and we are Working on a story about a case. I launch into a spiel about what we're up to. And George Holloway listens quietly as we stand next to his mailbox. And so we're trying to get information on her. Her name's Violet Ellison. Do you know her? Do you have an opinion about her or have any information that you could give us about her?

[G]

I know she's very vindictive. She like to be involved in a lot of stuff that doesn't involve her. She's very. She's a very messy lady. Very messy.

[A]

George Holloway invites us into his living room to talk more about his relationship with Violet Ellison.

[G]

She's not a reliable person that you would trust that you will put your faith in. And I would tell anybody, whatever you have to say, do not say it in front of her. Because it's gonna get turned totally backwards. It's not gonna be said the way that you said my opinion. Stay away from that woman because she's troubled.

[A]

He tells us that he met Violet Ellison through his ex girlfriend. It gets a little complicated, but it's like this. George Holloway used to date a woman we'll call Sharon. Before she was with George, Sharon dated Violet Ellison's son, Reginald Smith, who's known as Red. George tells us that when Sharon broke up with Red, she remained friends with Violet Ellison. But he tells us Violet Ellison wanted Sharon and her son Red to get back together. And she thought George was in the way. George admits that he and Sharon had a volatile relationship. And because of that, Sharon had a protective order against him. He says that one night he and Sharon had an argument in person, Violating the protective order. George says he left after the argument and Sharon called police. But Violet Ellison later testified that she heard and saw the whole thing firsthand.

[G]

She had said that, you know, she was there, she. She witnessed it, but she was not there. She showed up after everything had happened and the police was there on the scene.

[A]

George tells us he decided to plead guilty to breaking Sharon's protective order. To wash his hands of the whole situation. He says he hasn't seen Sharon, Violet Ellison, or her son Red in years. George admits to physical fights with Sharon. But it seems like his descriptions of these fights minimize the violence. We know there is another side to the story. But Sharon doesn't respond to our interview requests. I tell George about Violet Ellison's involvement into Forest Johnson's conviction. And the $5,000 reward she was paid in secret.

[G]

She'll do anything possible that she can, if money is involved, even go to the extent to lie.

[A]

But he says Violet Ellison has an even stronger motivation than money. Her son.

[G]

She would do anything possible, anything, and go to any extent to keep her son out of trouble.

[A]

Multiple sources tell me that Red is a longtime drug user. And court records show that he's been in and out of jail. George says that Violet Ellison enabled her son.

[G]

She would cover up for him whether he was right or whether he was wrong. You know, she knew he was doing things out there in the street. But you know, if the police come, she will lie and say he's not there. You know, she would give polices informations leading to drug buses, people that done dead robberies in favor for them to drop charges against Reginald, get the charges downgraded, you know, to keep him from going to jail.

[A]

I leave the interview with George Holloway wondering. Could Red's legal issues have motivated Violet Ellison to get involved with police? Was she after leniency for her son? A search of public court records shows that Red has a lengthy list of misdemeanor and felony convictions on his record going back to 1980. But I checked with the Alabama department of Corrections and they have no record of him ever serving time in prison. This tracks with what one of Violet Ellison's neighbors told me. That Red is often in trouble, but he's like teflon. Nothing sticks. For example, in 1997, Red was charged with robbery and theft when he stole five watches from a department store. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. But then the judge amended Red's sentence and granted him probation instead of prison time. But there's no information about why his sentence was downgraded. And this happened less than a month before the start of to forest's second trial. That timing gets my attention. I wonder if it's possible that Violet Ellison testified in Taforest's case in exchange for preferential treatment for her son. But on further examination, that seems like a long shot. The charges against Red in 1997 were in Bessemer, not Jefferson county, where Taforest was tried with different prosecutors and judges. But I do know that Violet Ellison was involved in her son's criminal defense in a 2007 burglary case. Records show that Red's attorney met with the defendant and his mother for three hours in two separate meetings. Red pleaded guilty in that case and got probation. Is Red getting preferential treatment because his mother has been a witness for the state in multiple cases? I find no documentation to support this. But then again, are deals like that ever spelled out in court records? Why have I asked my h vac guy I found on angie.com to change my grandpa's trachea tube? Because I was so amazed by how quickly he replaced our air ducts. I knew I could trust him to change Pop Pop's tube while I was on vacation. Make it quick, young man.

[B]

Aw. See?

[A]

Pop Pop trusts you.

[B]

I think we should call a doctor. Connecting homeowners with skilled Pros for over 30 years, Angie, the one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find pros for all your home [e-mail] Breaking news, everybody.

[C]

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[B]

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[C]

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[A]

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[A]

Thy ticket, lady Jennifer of Coolidge. Well, many thanks, good sir. Here is my Discover card.

[F]

They accept Discover at Renaissance fairs?

[A]

Yeah, they do here. Discover is accepted at the places I love to shop. Get it with the times.

[F]

With the times.

[A]

You're playing the loot. Yeah, and it sounds pretty good, right?

[B]

Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide, based on the February 2025 Nielsen Rule Report.

[A]

While looking through Red's files, I notice an especially violent assault and battery from 1994. He was sentenced to supervised probation. I was able to dig up a report of the incident in which police say, well, Red spits on a woman, grabs her by the neck and hair and pulls her around a room. A child is listed as a witness. The victim's name is Anita Davis, and her most likely addresses are all in Central Georgia. So Mara and I get back in the car and make the four hour drive to try to find her. Hi, we're looking for Anita Davis.

[F]

She passed away.

[A]

Oh, I'm so sorry. Are you her daughter. My name is Beth. This is Mara. We are writers and we're working on a story about a wrongful conviction. And we're reaching out to people that may know the need witness. Her name is Violet Ellison.

[F]

Oh, I'm. I know who. Yeah, that's my grandma.

[A]

Oh, okay. So Violet Ellison is your grandmother. Okay. Unexpectedly, we find ourselves talking to Violet Ellison's granddaughter. Tyce Davis is in her 50s, but doesn't look a day over 40. When I mention her grandmother, Violet Ellison, Thais comes out from behind the screen door. She keeps her earbuds in while we stand on the porch and talk. What kind of grandmother was she? Was she involved in your life?

[F]

No. No. She told my dad, your kids ain't gonna never amount to that. But then we're the kids that's been successful. And now she's trying to come back around. Yeah.

[A]

So there's not like, warm feelings. Yeah. So far, most of the people I've contacted about Violet Ellison had good reason to say negative things about her. Those were people who she testified against. But this feels different. We're hearing from a blood relative, a person connected to Violet Ellison through family. Tais tells us she's retired from the Air Force. She moved to Georgia with her mom, Anita Davis, and her two brothers when they were kids. Thais says it was to get away from the chaos surrounding her father's side of the family. We ask her about Red. What's the deal with Red? Her son.

[F]

So that's my dad.

[A]

Okay.

[F]

I really don't have nothing to do with him because he's been on drugs since I was 8 or 9.

[B]

Okay.

[F]

He stayed with her. So, you know, you had a parents where, you know, you know your child doing stuff, but you uphold it versus letting them know you wrong. Yeah, she upholds everything you do.

[A]

That's exactly. Tyce corroborates the picture already painted by George Holloway and a neighbor of Violet Ellison, telling us that she readily involves herself in other people's criminal issues, but does whatever she can to protect her son Red when he gets into trouble.

[F]

You don't need neighborhood watch with her. But she only noticed what she want to notice because if her son was breaking in somebody house mysteriously, she didn't see that. But anything else she would see. So, yeah, that type of stuff.

[A]

We explain why we're interested in Violet Ellison and her son. And Tys tells us she had recently heard about her grandmother's involvement in Taforest Johnson's case.

[F]

So I wasn't surprised when I heard it because if it involved money, I wouldn't be surprised.

[A]

Well, and it did. I mean, she was paid $5,000.

[F]

Yeah. So I wouldn't be surprised. Like, when I heard the story, I was like, yeah, I'm not surprised at all. She's money hungry. So that's the. The issue. Well, like I said, we'll say anything to get money.

[A]

Why is she like that? Any idea?

[F]

No. Even like I said, growing up, I. I had nothing to do with them. Like, for instance. I'm gonna give you an example.

[A]

Tyce tells us that Violet Ellison was distant when she was a child. But then right after Thais joined the Air force, she got a call from her grandmother.

[F]

Haven't done nothing for me. Her grandchild. Haven't done nothing for me. When I joined the military, she said, hey, I need your Social Security number so I can get insurance policies on you just in case, you know, something happened to you and we can bury you. I'm fine with the military. Got me covered. And that stuff will go to my mom. So why you need my social. But you ain't never decided to do that before, so. Stuff like that. But I'm not surprised with the money thing. And I hate that. This man could be innocent. And for $5,000, he's on death row. $5,000.

[A]

But she testified under oath that she did not know about the reward. She didn't know that any money was involved.

[F]

Exactly. My brother said she ain't testifying against nothing unless there's money involved.

[A]

All of a sudden, we realize that Tyce has earbuds in because she's on the phone with someone. It's her brother, Tony.

[F]

Oh, okay.

[A]

Is he here?

[F]

Yeah.

[A]

Do you think he would talk to us? Would it be possible for us to come see him, too?

[F]

You fine with that, Tony?

[A]

He's probably like I was.

[G]

He is.

[A]

Okay. You would just have to give us Violet Ellison's grandson. Tony lives about 10 minutes away from his sister, Tais. We get to his house. House. And the front yard is filled with cars in various states of repair. He's waiting for us on the porch.

[B]

Hello.

[D]

Hey.

[A]

Hi. How are you?

[D]

All right.

[A]

Are you Tony? After he finishes extracting an old bird's nest from the rafters, Tony talks to us for 40 minutes.

[D]

I can tell you one thing about my grandma.

[B]

She is a.

[D]

That's a true scam artist. That's a true. I hate to say it. I know that's my grandma, but that's a true scam out of there. Any way she can get a dollar telling you she ain't that type that's just gonna help somebody just to help them. It gotta have money. Oh, it got. It gotta have money involved.

[A]

Wow.

[D]

It just had it gotta have ain't got money involved. She ain't with it.

[A]

Tony says his grandmother tried to scam him out of 500 by claiming that he owed her for a loan. Mara tells Tony about how the state presented Violet Ellison to Forrest Johnson's trial and that she says she didn't know about the reward when she testified. He doesn't believe that.

[D]

She concerned about stuff, but really she ain't concerned. She's just trying to get in your business or trying to see a way she can get some money. Oh, reward for this I'll find her believe but at all. She lied too much like my dad had lied too much like she. She alive by anything to get away with anything.

[A]

So he goes on to describe the relationship Violet Ellison has with her son Red, who is also Tony's father.

[D]

They like Bunny and Clyde. She'll ride for him the whole time. She can see with her own eyes what this man did. And she. And she'd be like, no, I ain't see. I a see that. See, I was doing like this. She been like this since we were little.

[A]

Tony then tells us the story about the assault and battery case that led us here. Filling in details that are missing from the court files. He says when he was little, Red was on drugs and would hit Tony's mom. One night, Tony, wanting to protect her, stabbed Red.

[D]

That was when I was young, a child. I stabbed him.

[A]

Wow.

[D]

I really did. I stabbed him and I stabbed him in his cab. Muscles and stuff. He would holler and you know, who's the first person that pulled up? The first person pulled up and then he didn't. They didn't. They told the police a lie. They tried to put it like somebody. He got in a fight with somebody, all this stuff. But they wait.

[A]

So Violet lied to the police.

[D]

She always lied for the police to try to get him out of trouble.

[G]

But he.

[D]

She tried to put it like I was going to get in trouble for stabbing him. I didn't care. I was little. I didn't care like what y' all going to do to a child. I'm just protecting my mom, you know.

[A]

According to Tony, even when he was little, he saw Violet Ellison lie to police to protect her son Red. But Red was arrested for this incident and sentenced to 60 days probation. And it was after this Thais and Tony's mother Anita, decided to Move the family to Georgia. Like his sister, Thais, Tony was also troubled to recently hear about his grandmother's involvement in Taforist Johnson's conviction and death sentence.

[D]

I hate that man going through that. I really hate that. Then and I To the point. It's a chance he can lose his life for 5,000.

[E]

Come on.

[A]

I'm not typically comfortable reporting negative opinions about a private citizen. But Violet Ellison's word is the case against Taforist Johnson. In order to figure out how an innocent person ended up on death row, there was no way around investigating the star witness and whether or not she's credible. I had that conversation with Violet Ellison on her front porch a year before. I talked with Tyce and Tony. But after hearing from her grandchildren, I went back and knocked on Violet Ellison's door again. Multiple times.

[F]

Hi.

[A]

We're looking for Ms. Violet Ellison. I wanted to learn more about her relationship with her son Red and her involvement in other cases. Each time I knocked, the woman inside claimed Violet Ellison wasn't at home. I even left a note in her mailbox along with my business card. But Violet Ellison never responded.

[C]

Ms. Ellison, is that you?

[A]

I wasn't able to find documented proof of all of the allegations that sources made against Violet Ellison. For example, there's no paper trail that shows she lied to protect her son Red. But there's also no ironclad proof that Violet Ellison heard Taforest Johnson talk about killing deputy Hardy in 1995. The state presented her testimony with no verification of what she claimed, no recording of the calls she eavesdropped on, nothing outside her word, and the notes she turned over to police that connected to Forrest Johnson to a murder he maintains to this day that he did not commit. Prosecutors presented Violet Ellison as a concerned mother troubled by her conscience. And she was adamant that she didn't know about the reward when she testified. But through my reporting, consistent, negative descriptions kept coming up about her, even from her own grandchildren. One former coworker called her sneaky. A relative referred to her as a peace breaker. Almost every person we talked to said Violet Ellison should not be trusted. We spoke to over a dozen different people about Violet Ellison. The consistent portrait that emerged from these conversations is diametrically opposed to the characterization presented by prosecutors at trial. And what judges still believe as to Forest tries to undo his conviction. I also learned that Violet Ellison was in a precarious financial position, Burdened by medical debt. She lives in a community plagued by violence and poverty. Her son suffers from addiction. She's estranged from some of her immediate family. She seems to seize opportunities where she can. One of those was created by the state when they offered money for information about a police officer's murder. 15 years before I began looking into Violet Ellison, there was someone else who had questions about her credibility. Jeff Wallace, the prosecutor who stood in front of a jury and threw Deputy Hardy's hat onto the courtroom floor.

[B]

Jeff Wallace spent four years of his life prosecuting this case trying to put Rodriguez, Ford and Taforest Johnson on death row. He successfully put Taforis Johnson on death row. I mean four years of his professional life he devoted to this.

[A]

Jeff Wallace reached out to Ty Alper and the rest of Tafores legal team to share what was on his mind. And today he says that to Forest Johnson deserves a new trial.

[B]

Twenty years later he's saying, I think it should be undone. I mean that to me takes courage that most lawyers don't have.

[A]

That's next time. Ear Witness is a production of Lava for Good podcasts in association with Signal Company Number one. Executive producers are Jason Flom, Jeff Kempler, Kevin Wardes and me, Beth Shelburne. The investigative reporting for this series was done by me and Mara McNamara. Producers are Mara McNamara, Hannah Beal and Jackie Polly. Kara Kornhaber is our senior producer. Britt Spangler is our sound designer. Additional story editing from Marie Sutton. Fact check help from Katherine Newhan and special thanks to Taforest Johnson's legal defense team. You can follow the show on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter lavaforgood. To see behind the scenes content from our investigation, visit lavaforgood.com earwitness.

[B]

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