Keith LaMar + The Lucasville Prison Riot Part 3

Summary

Truer Crime Podcast: Keith LaMar + The Lucasville Prison Riot Part 3

Host: Celisia Stanton
Episode Date: September 15, 2025

---

Episode Overview

In this deeply personal and meticulously reported episode, host Celisia Stanton continues her investigation into the life and conviction of Keith LaMar, focusing on the aftermath of the infamous 1993 Lucasville Prison Riot. This installment intertwines Keith's early life, the circumstances around his first murder charge, and the legal proceedings that ultimately landed him on death row. With intimate interviews and sharp commentary, the episode raises vital questions about systemic injustice, the power of narrative, and the search for humanity amid violence and chaos.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Keith LaMar’s Path Before Prison

• Youth in the Crack Era

  • Keith recounts his teenage years immersed in drugs, crime, and a fast lifestyle.
  • Quote:
    “We were shooting dice, smoking weed, some of us lacing the weed with crack cocaine. ... I was living a real dangerous life.”
    — Keith LaMar, 04:38
  • Keith describes his role as a drug dealer, living with material wealth but oblivious to the dangers around him.

• Tragedy and First Murder Conviction

  • The pivotal night: during a chaotic, drug-fueled evening, Keith responds to a home invasion by shooting at the intruders, one of whom, Kenyatta Collins, was a childhood acquaintance.
  • Quote:
    “Before they could even turn the corner, I was already firing my pistol. And Kenyatta was the first one to kind of come ease around the edge of the hallway.”
    — Keith LaMar, 06:39
  • Keith, wounded in the leg, recounts moments of fear, confusion, and ultimately hearing Kenyatta’s death pronounced in the hospital.
  • He’s advised to plead guilty to murder (despite his claim it was self-defense), and begins an 18-to-life sentence at nineteen.

2. Survival and Transformation in Prison

• Entering Adult Prison at Nineteen

  • Keith describes the shock of entering an intensely violent environment and feeling “afraid…naked human being in every sense of the word.” (14:33)
  • Survival strategies included joining the prison’s boxing team and carrying a knife for protection.

• Psychological Toll and Insight

  • Keith offers a powerful metaphor about being forced to “drink water out of a toilet”—a reflection on the limited choices available in both prison and the world he grew up in.
  • Quote:
    “I would drink spoiled water if I had to choose between that and a glass of urine. ... But that's a fact of something somebody have done. ... You judging me because I'm drinking this dirty water.”
    — Keith LaMar, 17:09 & 18:31
  • He connects systemic neglect, such as redlining and Jim Crow, to the limits imposed on people in marginalized communities.

• Support and Redemption

  • The turning point: mentors in prison encourage Keith to value his inherent worth—“the root word of education is Educe...to bring forth that which is already there.”
  • Quote:
    “I was already in prison before I even arrived to the physical place. It was a worse prison because I didn’t even know I was in it.”
    — Keith LaMar, 19:55

3. The Lucasville Riot: The New Accusations

• Facing New Murder Charges

  • After the Lucasville riot, the state charges Keith with five murders (including Dennis Weaver) that occurred during the chaos.
  • Quote:
    “They said that we're not saying you killed anybody. We're saying that you ordered deaths.”
    — Keith LaMar, 12:17

• Refusing the Plea Deal

  • Though most prisoners take pleas, Keith refuses this time: “I just wasn’t willing to give up myself again.”
    — Keith LaMar, 22:00
  • The state seeks the death penalty; Keith faces trial represented by two white, court-appointed attorneys—Herman Carson and Bob Toy—“Hi, we’re two white guys. We’re here from the government to help you” (23:04, Herman Carson).

4. The Trial: Legal Hurdles and Questionable Witnesses

• Obstacles for the Defense

  • The state withholds key exculpatory (Brady) evidence, providing only vague summaries unconnected to individuals.
    “They wouldn’t tell us which other residents had made which statements...it’s bullshit. It’s not confidential. It’s under Brady vs. Maryland.”
    — Herman Carson, 27:37
  • The defense is effectively unable to cross-reference inconsistent testimonies, crippled in trial preparation.

• Heavily Coached Informants

  • The prosecution’s witnesses are mostly incentivized prison informants, dubbed as products of “Snitch Academy.”
  • Several key informants have histories of lying or changing their stories; some receive early parole or other rewards for their testimony.
  • Quote:
    “Do you think people lied?”
    “Oh, no doubt, no doubt about it.”
    — Celisia Stanton & Herman Carson, 30:25
  • The defense’s own witnesses collapse on the stand, some confronted mid-testimony with contradictory statements the state withheld until the last minute.

• Racist and Biased Environment

  • Keith’s jury is all white; he is the only Black person in the courtroom, including the defense team.

5. Keith’s Perspective and Final Speech

• Keith’s Approach on the Stand

  • Keith’s strategy in trial is to repeat that he wasn’t involved, but he reflects later:
    “You asking us to believe that these good people would stoop to the level of lying...now the jury is upset with me because I’m saying over again, I don’t know what you’re talking about...It’s genius, what they did.”
    — Keith LaMar, 34:02–34:33

• The Verdict and Sentencing

  • The jury convicts Keith on all counts. The courtroom fills not with those who heard evidence, but with people watching the spectacle.
  • Quote:
    “It was like a horror movie. But this your life, though...everybody’s standing like this is the most righteous shit in the world about to happen.”
    — Keith LaMar, 38:14

• Keith’s Final Address to the Court (Courtroom Speech)

  • Quote:
    “Whole trial has been said, repeatedly said by the prosecutor that every man must be held accountable for his actions… I agree with that. …I don’t believe in what took place in this courtroom. Prosecutor hid evidence. He encouraged witnesses. Well, every man must be held accountable.”
    — Keith Lamar, 39:27

6. The Aftermath: Sent to Death Row

• Keith’s Realization and Resolve

  • On the ride to death row, Keith describes “being submerged underwater, being buried alive, basically watching a hole being dug and slowly coming to awareness that I was going to have to live in that hole...”
    — Keith LaMar, 41:32
  • Determined not to acquiesce—“I just knew that I wasn’t going to go along with it...my resistance, but I knew I would resist.”
    — Keith LaMar, 42:04

• His First Act of Defiance

  • On arriving at Mansfield Correctional:
    “I stopped walking...I just told them to stop moving, stop. And they drug me down this long corridor to my cell. That's how my tenure on death row began.”
    — Keith LaMar, 42:44

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On childhood friends becoming adversaries:
  “But one of the consequences of the crack epidemic is that it divided community.”
  — Keith Lamar, 07:07

• On being judged for ‘bad choices’:
  “It’s real disingenuous, this narrative about crime and criminality. ... Everybody trying to live, everybody trying to survive.”
  — Keith Lamar, 19:27

• Keith’s growth in prison:
  “My life has meaning. Not because I had Mercedes Benz, not because I had money... Your life has meaning because you was born with something inside of you that was meant to be brought forth.”
  — Keith Lamar, 19:55

• On being alone in court:
  “A white judge, white prosecutor team, and even the defense team. My attorneys were white, so I was the only black person in the whole courtroom.”
  — Keith Lamar, 29:07

• On defiance and survival:
  “I just knew that I wasn’t going to go along with it...I didn’t know the law. I didn’t know how to write. I didn’t have a support network, didn’t have anything but my feet. And I just told them to stop moving, stop.”
  — Keith Lamar, 42:04 & 42:44

---

Important Timestamps

• 04:38 – Keith describes his early drug dealing life
• 06:39 – Keith recounts the night Kenyatta Collins was killed
• 08:51 – Wakes in hospital, hears Kenyatta pronounced dead
• 13:57 – Describes entering prison at 19
• 17:09–18:31 – The “toilet water” survival metaphor
• 19:55 – Keith learns about intrinsic value from other prisoners
• 22:00 – Refuses plea deal, deciding not to “give up” himself
• 27:37 – Herman Carson on being denied witness statements
• 30:25 – Herman Carson emphatically affirms, “People lied” under oath
• 33:52 – Defense witness undermined by withheld prosecution statement
• 34:02–34:33 – Keith reflects on the impossibility of his defense
• 39:27–40:25 – Keith’s defiant final courtroom speech
• 41:32–42:44 – Keith’s psychological state as he is sent to death row
• 43:15 – Keith’s “first day” of refusal on death row

---

Additional Resources

• Book Recommendation:
  Keith LaMar's memoir Condemned: The Whole Story, written from death row, details his account of the Lucasville uprising and alleges state suppression of evidence. Available via keithlamar.org.

---

Episode Tone & Narrative

Celisia’s approach is both empathetic and probing, blending personal testimony with systemic critique. The episode is unflinching in its portrayal of violence, trauma, and institutional failures, yet it also foregrounds moments of humanity, dignity, and resistance. Keith’s own words—often philosophical, sometimes poetic—anchor the narrative, challenging listeners to reconsider what justice, survival, and transformation mean within the American criminal justice system.

---

The story continues in the next and final installment of this series.

Transcript

[Sarah Turney]

You're listening to a Tenderfoot TV podcast.

[Chumba Casino Advertiser]

Ready to level up? Chumba Casino is your playbook to fun. It's free to play with no purchase necessary. Enjoy hundreds of online social games like blackjack, slots and Solitaire anytime, anywhere, with fresh releases every week. Whether you're at home or on the go. Let Chumba Casino bring the excitement to you. Plus, get free daily login bonuses and a free welcome bonus. Join now for your chance to redeem some serious prizes. Play Chumba Casino today. No purchase necessary. VGW Group void board prohibited by law.

[Sarah Turney]

21/Tncs apply my name is Sarah Turney. I spent years fighting for justice for my missing sister, Alyssa Turney, before an arrest was finally made in her case after nearly 20 years. But after my experience with the media, law enforcement and the court system, I knew I couldn't stop with Alyssa's case. I know what it's like to fight for media attention, for answers, and for justice. After I stopped telling my sister's story, I knew I wanted to help as many other victims, survivors and families as I could. On my podcast, Voices for Justice, I provide unique insight into these tragic cases because I know what it's like to not just listen to these stories, but to live them and more importantly, how to help them by being a true voice for justice. Listen to Voices for Justice in your favorite podcast player today. You can be so much more than just a passive consumer of true crime. You have the power to help.

[Celisia Stanton]

Hi friends, I am so excited to share this new episode of True a Crime with you. If you want to listen ad free and get early access to all the episodes for this month's case, you can subscribe to Tenderfoot plus at tenderfootplus.com or on Apple Podcasts. It's also one of the best ways to support the show. Foreign hey friends, quick reminder. We are giving away a few True or crime T shirts this month. If you sign up for our newsletter by the end of September, you'll be entered and we'll pick a few folks at random to send shirts to the links in the description. Or you can just head to truer crime substack.com and yeah, you can buy the shirts too. We would love that. We actually have three designs right now instead of just the one from last season, but this is your chance to grab one for free. The newsletter is how we're going to keep folks in the loop. New episode reminders, sometimes extra case photos or behind the scenes things and hopefully we'll do more fun things down the line so if you want to make sure you don't miss anything and maybe snag a shirt, sign up. And while we're on the subject of staying connected, come hang out with us on Instagram too. We're @DrewerCrimePod and that's where Olivia, my co producer and I share behind the scenes photos, reels, action items, even sneak peeks at new merch. We read all your DMs and comments, so I'm excited to chat with you over there. All right, let's get into today's episode. Please be aware that today's episode contains descriptions of gun violence. Please take care while listening. Last time, we left off with a surprise visit to Keith's cell. The riot was over, but for Keith, the reckoning had just begun. The state was charging him with the murders of five men who'd been killed during the riot, including Dennis Weaver, the man who died right in front of him in the K block holding cell. But this wasn't the first time Keith had been accused of murder. Years earlier, there had been another case, another death. And that time he didn't fight it. He took a deal. But now, with the state threatening the death penalty, Keith made a different decision. He said he was innocent and he refused to back down. He wouldn't be taking any deals. So what changed? Why, when the consequences were so much greater? And did Keith decide to take the risk? To answer that, we have to go back back to the night Keith Lamar killed a man. This is the story of Keith Lamar and the Lucasfil Riot, Part three. I'm Celisia Stanton and you're listening to Truer Crime. Before the riot, before prison, Keith Lamar was just a teenager living fast.

[Keith Lamar]

You know, I was young and it was just a non stop, high paced life that I was living. We were shooting dice, smoking weed, some of us lacing the weed with crack cocaine. I was snorting crack, snorting cocaine at the time. And so I was living a real dangerous life. I was living completely on the ass.

[Celisia Stanton]

He was selling drugs, driving an expensive car, rocking a Rolex, caught up in the chaos of the crack era.

[Keith Lamar]

You know, this apartment where I used to live is this drug house basically. And what I used to do now is drop drugs off at this house and guys used to sell the crack. And I would come back during intervals throughout the day and pick up the money, drop off the drugs. I would wake up at 12 o', clock, 1 o' clock in the afternoon after being up all night gambling, drinking, pottering, riding around. I had a Mercedes Benz at the time. Rolex watch, jewelry. All the things that rappers glorify in their music. I was living that life oblivious to the danger that I was involved in.

[Celisia Stanton]

And years passed just like this, blurring together without pause for reflection. Until one night in the late 1980s. For Keith, now 18, the day started like any other. And by 9pm he's at his apartment, unaware that his whole life was about to change.

[Keith Lamar]

You know, I'm inebriated. Everybody is inebriated. We smoking weed, we sporting cocaine, we drinking. Just a normal way of life for us at that time. And so counting money. It was a big boom.

[Celisia Stanton]

Shouts echoed down the hall.

[Keith Lamar]

Where the money at?

[Celisia Stanton]

I imagine myself as a fly on the wall in this moment. There's Keith, high and drunk, thumbing through cash. When chaos erupts in the next room. He's trying to make sense of it. They're shouting and demanding the very thing he is now holding. His hand moved to his gun, and.

[Keith Lamar]

Before they could even turn the corner, I was already firing my pistol. And Kenyatta was the first one to kind of come ease around the edge of the hallway.

[Celisia Stanton]

Kenyatta. Kenyatta Collins. Keith recognized him among the robbers. Keith knew him. They weren't best friends, but they had once been close. They grew up together, walked to school, played basketball and football.

[Keith Lamar]

But one of the consequences of the.

[Keith Lamar (continued narrative/reflection)]

Crack epidemic is that it divided community.

[Keith Lamar]

But you also had guys who robbed drug dealers. That was their hustle. And Kenyatta had fell into a group of guys who would want robbers. He was included among the guys who.

[Keith Lamar (continued narrative/reflection)]

Kicked my door in.

[Celisia Stanton]

And now here, Keith and Kenyatta were together in the same room, just like when they were kids. But somewhere along the way, they'd ended up at odds. It reminded me of what Keith had said about trauma, how it slices through relationships, that when resources are limited, the people you once cared for are. Are suddenly competitors to your own survival.

[Keith Lamar]

They started shooting. It was just a lot of gunshots. It was really seen out of a movie, basically. And those guys fled down the stairs, and I ran after them. I was so jacked up on cocaine and alcohol, I didn't even realize initially that I was shot.

[Celisia Stanton]

Keith had been hit in his left leg, and. And when he couldn't run anymore, he collapsed.

[Keith Lamar]

Remember reaching down and holding my leg, trying to hold different parts of it together. Then I passed out.

[Celisia Stanton]

The next thing Keith remembers is waking up in a hospital bed, chaos unfolding beside him.

[Keith Lamar]

And I just remember being, like, hyper vigilant, like kind of sitting outside of myself and just looking down on the whole thing and it was surreal. Kenyatta. You know, I saw them operating on him. I heard them speaking in kind of urgent tones about his condition and I also heard them when they pronounced him dead.

[Celisia Stanton]

Keith lost consciousness again and eventually he's moved into a new room.

[Keith Lamar]

I woke up and I discovered that I was handcuffed to the bed and that it was a police officer sitting outside my hospital gang and so I was immediately viewed as the perpetrator of the crime.

[Celisia Stanton]

Keith was indicted for murder. Still a teenager, his life changed in a matter of minutes. He hired an attorney and was advised to plead guilty despite believing he'd acted in self defense. He took the advice and In June of 1989, just weeks after his 19th birthday, Heath Lamar began serving 18 years to life for murder. He'd eventually end up at Lucasville, the same place he'd be years later when the state came knocking again.

[Lemonade Pet Insurance Advertiser]

Just got a new puppy or kitten. Congrats. But also yikes. Between crates, beds, toys, treats and those first few vet visits, you've probably already dropped a small fortune. Which is where Lemonade Pet Insurance comes in. It helps cover vet costs so you can focus on what's best for your new pet. The coverage is customizable, sign up is quick and easy, and your claims are handled in as little as three seconds. Lemonade offers a package specifically for puppies and kittens. Get a'llemonaid.com pet your future self will thank you. Your pet won't. They don't know what insurance is.

[Mint Mobile Advertiser]

Have you been enjoying your summer? I know I have. Sure, it's hot out, but it doesn't get much better than beach trips, barbecues and bathing in the sun. Just make sure you apply that sunscreen so you don't get burned. And while you're at it, take a look at your phone bill because chances are you're getting burned there too. It seemed like every year my phone bill kept creeping up in price with no warning and no improvements in service. But that all changed when I made the switch to Mint Mobile a couple years ago. With Mint, I'm getting better coverage and faster speeds at half the cost of what I was paying before. Make the switch to Mint Mobile this year. Skip breaking a sweat and breaking the bank. Get this new customer offer and your three month unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks on [e-mail] tenderfoot that's mintmobile.com tenderfoot upfront payment of $45 required, equivalent to $15 a month limited time. New customer offer for first three months only. Speeds may slow above 35 gigabytes on unlimited plan taxes and fees. Extra C Mint Mobile for details.

[Sarah Turney]

Thanks for selling your car to Carvana. Here's your check.

[Celisia Stanton]

Whoa.

[Herman Carson]

When did I get here?

[Sarah Turney]

What do you mean?

[Herman Carson]

I swear it was just moments ago that I accepted a great offer from Carvana online.

[Celisia Stanton]

I must have time traveled to the future.

[Sarah Turney]

It was just moments ago. We do same day pickup. Here's your check for that great offer.

[Celisia Stanton]

It is the future.

[Sarah Turney]

It's. It's the present and just the convenience of Carvana. Sorry to blow your mind.

[Herman Carson]

It's all good. Happens all the time.

[Celisia Stanton]

Sell your car the convenient way to Carvana. Pickup times may vary and fees may apply. Back in 1989, Keith took the plea. But now it was 1993. He was older, clearer, different. And so was the case. Five men were dead, including Dennis Weaver, who died right there in Keith's cell. And under immense pressure, the state was building their narrative. Eventually, he would untangle the charges.

[Keith Lamar]

They said that we're not saying you killed anybody. We're saying that you ordered deaths. Our boy said.

[Celisia Stanton]

Our boss said Keith had already spent years inside. He knew how the system worked, and he started putting the pieces together.

[Keith Lamar]

I think to kind of narrow it down. They started looking at what these individuals were in prison for. I was in prison for murder. They said, okay, this is somebody who we can charge with a crime just by the deduction he's a murderer. He's in a pod where murders happen. Let's charge him with one of these cases with the expectation that we can get him to plead guilty. Because, As I said, 99 of the people in prison plead guilty. And naturally, in these kind of situations, the average person would have played guilty. But I wasn't the average person.

[Celisia Stanton]

Keith knew what most people would do, but he wasn't most people. He'd already spent years inside. He understood the stakes. He understood the pressure. And still he refused to fold. It really made me wonder, how did he get there? How does someone already caged, already up against a system designed to crush him, choose to push back even harder? To understand that, we have to go back to the beginning of Keith's life inside adult prison. He was just 19, and it was here that he learned what it really meant to survive.

[Keith Lamar]

Well, I knew I was going into a dangerous environment, so. Lisa. But you aren't prepared for it. You're a kid. You come into this place and you walking around, and guys have been lifting weights for decades. And these guys are huge. Like Lee Haney, huge. I was 19 years old, and I'm surrounded by grown men now.

[Celisia Stanton]

Before prison, Keith had been living fast, selling drugs, driving a ben, snorting coke, partying all night. But here, all that disappeared. This was a new world, one that required new rules.

[Keith Lamar]

New. Those first few days, first few weeks and months, was mine altering. And I was really, really out of my depth. I was pretty much a naked human being in every sense of the word. And I was afraid. I was really afraid. Naked being afraid.

[Celisia Stanton]

This was Keith's new reality, and he had to find a way to survive it.

[Keith Lamar]

I went outside and sought out the boxing team. I wanted to learn how to fight. Cause that seemed like the most logical thing to do. And that's what I did.

[Celisia Stanton]

But this wasn't just about punching. Boxing, Keith says, taught him how to breathe, how to read people, how to anticipate a hit. It gave him back a sense of control.

[Keith Lamar]

Just to give you an ideal of the environment that I was walking into. Some of the guys who I knew from the streets who had made it to this prison, you know, one of the first things that they gave me was a knife and a carton of cigarette ribs. And so that tells you everything you need to know about the world that you are now in this world, you received a shank. And my friend took me around the yard and showed me where all knives were buried. So there was a knife in every location that you could find yourself in within the walls of the prison. And so death wasn't reassuring. That wasn't like something that made me feel more secure. It made me feel more afraid.

[Celisia Stanton]

Joining the boxing team was survival. It sent a message, I'm not prey. And it worked. But Keith knew something else too. That survival wasn't just physical.

[Keith Lamar]

Yeah, well, ultimately, we make choices based on what we perceive our options to be. I mean, see what a lot of people don't really take into consideration. See, like, I live right now in a controlled environment, right? The people could turn off the lights when they want to. They can turn off the water if they want to. They control the environment. And you as a human being could say, well, I would never drink water out of a toilet because you know what goes on in there, that's not a good thing to do. We're not dogs and prisoners. We know that. I certainly know that. And I live in a controlled environment. They could shut the water off. And the fact of the matter is that I'm a human being. Without water, I would die within seven days or so. So as much as I like to say, you know, I would Never do this, I would never do that. If I live in a controlled environment, I might be forced to do that if I want to live.

[Celisia Stanton]

That metaphor about the toilet water, it stayed with me and it stayed with Keith too. He came back to it more than once, circling it, stretching it. Because for him it wasn't just about prison, it was about the world he grew up in.

[Keith Lamar]

I mean, all of us, all the criminals have baby pictures. You know, I had this little picture. You know, all those pictures are cute. You know those pictures I'm talking about when you're sitting with your little legs, your little pants, your short pants on and everything and you have your leg crossed and you trying to look all smart and everything. Those cute little picture sight, that's when we are in our innocence and then we enter into society and we have these experiences and those experiences, they change the condition of our heart. But what I'm saying and what has been proven over and over again through things like redlining, Jim Crow, all these other things, that some of these environments are controlled environments and that the people who are in control of the policies, who control how much money are invested in these communities, they also control the options. We make choices based on what we perceive our options to be. And those options are directly connected to our survival. And so I would drink spoil your water if I had to choose between that and a glass of urine. And then that behavior is what's being viewed as criminal. That's the behavior, me drinking this, this dirty water. That's what the judgment coming from. Look at him, look at him drinking this filthy water. But that's a fact of something somebody have done. But that party is removed from the scenario. You can't see him. And so I'm the only one left there. So you judging me because I'm drinking this dirty water. Like why are these the only options that you have in the richest country in the world? So it's real disingenuous, this narrative about crime and criminality. And people don't have the time typically to find out the truth about what it is we are caught up in. And that's by compilation and design. Everybody trying to live, everybody trying to survive.

[Celisia Stanton]

And I don't think in saying this that Keith was trying to justify violence or deny accountability. I think he's asking us to zoom out, to not just look at the behavior, but at the conditions that shape it. What if he asks the so called bad choices are actually the only ones left? And somehow even in that world, even after everything, Keith found something worth holding onto. Moments of clarity, people who saw his humanity.

[Keith Lamar]

I had guys that come into my life at the right time to teach me so much about what it means to be a human being. So I'm not even regretful about coming to prison. In fact, I tell people that I was already in prison before I actually arrived to the physical place. It was a worse prison because I didn't even know I was in it because there was no bars. One guy in particular explains the root word of education is E juice. E D, U, C, E. To bring forth that which is already there. And he kind of sold me on the idea that, like an apple seed carries with it the tree that it will become. So too, are we as individuals. We have inside of us this thing that we are to become, this thing that we are to achieve. And I learned all this when I came to prison from prisoners that, you know, my life has meaning. Not because I had Mercedes Benz, not because I had money, not because I could smoke cocaine. Your life has meaning because you was born with something inside of you that was meant to be brought forth. That if you bring this thing forth, that this would be the only thing of its kind on this planet. Even talking about this stuff, it's real emotional for me because this was the first real time that I felt since I left the village that I felt really, really cared for as a human being by other prisoners.

[Celisia Stanton]

Prison had changed Keith. Not just how he saw the world, but how he saw himself. He'd been hardened, yes, but also reshaped, rebuilt. He'd found meaning, a sense of identity, a version of himself that felt worth holding onto. But when the state charged him with five murders tied to the Lucasville riot, they didn't see any of that. They saw a man they thought would fold. So they offered him a deal. A chance to plead guilty again. But this time, Keith couldn't do it.

[Keith Lamar]

I was a person who had already came a long way in achieving myself and felt like I would be going back. I'd be asked to give up something that took me years and almost losing my life to acquire. I just wasn't willing to do that. And so I was the wrong person being put into this situation because I had received neglects of my true self. And I just wasn't willing to give up myself again.

[Celisia Stanton]

And refusing to plead guilty came with consequences. The state was seeking the death penalty. And Keith, he was headed to trial. Unlike his first case, Keith didn't have a private attorney. His legal team, Herman Carson and Bob Toy, were provided to him. And, you know, two Court appointed lawyers assigned to a black man who believed the government was trying to kill him. It was, as Herman Carson told my team, a bit awkward at first.

[Herman Carson]

Hi, we're two white guys. We're here from the government to help you.

[Celisia Stanton]

That's Herman Carson. He's a defense attorney in Ohio and one of two lawyers appointed to represent Keith at trial. At first, Keith wanted nothing to do with them, but eventually he came around. Every week, Herman drove nearly two hours to meet with Keith. They prepared as best they could, knowing full well what they were up against.

[Herman Carson]

I knew that it was, you know, we were going really into the bowels of hell to try the thing. We didn't have a defendant, friendly judge. So he knew it was fact against him.

[Celisia Stanton]

Keith had been offered a plea deal, just seven additional years on top of his existing sentence. It wasn't nothing, but it also wasn't the death penalty.

[Herman Carson]

I told Keith many times during the preparation and representation, Keith, you got to keep in mind here, even if we could run the table and get a not guilty on everything on the inside of your parole jacket, it's going to say something like, killed five people at Lucasville. Got two smart ass lawyers who got him off, and they're going to stamp the roll denied right below that.

[Celisia Stanton]

Still, Keith wouldn't take the deal. And that meant facing off against a prosecution with one key advantage. They'd had years to prepare, years to craft a story from witness testimony. But let's be clear. These weren't just any witnesses. They were men from that place I told you about. Last episode, Snitch Academy. Prisoners sent to Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution. Prisoners who were rewarded for their cooperation. We're talking candy, cigarettes, Thanksgiving dinner with prosecutors. One informant later claimed the prosecution told witnesses what to say and what to leave out, that reduced sentences were offered in exchange for testimony. He even recalled another prisoner bragging about lying to secure parole. For this episode, I reviewed affidavits, depositions, and statements from witnesses who testified at Keith's trial. And here's what stood out. Their stories shifted, sometimes slightly, sometimes drastically. Sometimes witnesses contradicted earlier claims. Others gave completely different versions of events, depending on when and to whom they were speaking. And so while I can't say with absolute certainty that witnesses were coached or pressured to lie, what I can say is that their stories shifted, sometimes multiple times. And here's why that matters. If witnesses change their stories, that could be evidence that helps the defense. And under a 1963 Supreme Court ruling called Brady vs. Maryland, the prosecution is legally required to share that kind of information, it's called exculpatory evidence. Evidence that could cast doubt on the state's case. And being able to access that evidence, that's a basic right. But Keith's defense team, they barely got anything. And that didn't make sense. The state had conducted interviews with dozens of people over years. So Keith's team filed a motion, requested full discovery, every statement, every inconsistency. But the prosecution refused. They claimed the witnesses had been promised confidentiality. Eventually, the judge ordered a compromise. Prosecutors would need to cough up a little more evidence, but not everything. I want to note here that my team reached out multiple times to the prosecutors who handled Keith's case, both to request an interview and to ask for comment. We didn't receive a response, but here's what I do know. When Keith's team finally got their evidence, they were handed two separate lists. One with the names of 43 potential witnesses and another with short summaries of their statements. But the names weren't attached to the statements, so there was no way to know who said what. And when I say the summaries were short, I mean really short short. According to the New York Times, the testimonies of 43 witnesses was shoved into just 11 pages.

[Herman Carson]

They wouldn't tell us which other residents had made which statements. It was that, here's a list of statements, and here's a list of people that we talked to. Okay, who said what? Oh, we told them it's confidential, but that's bullshit. It's not confidential. It's under Brady versus Maryland. It's required to be given to us.

[Celisia Stanton]

If the defense wanted to use any of this information, they'd now have to undergo the arduous process of unscrambling the lists. With just weeks to go before trial, the judge offered a last minute solution. More time and money to hire an investigator. But Keith's team struggled to take that offer seriously.

[Herman Carson]

To be at Lucasville, you were the highest security risks of the highest security risks. To walk in to an inmate and say, hand him a piece of paper. It's got 15 statements on it that are helpful to Keith Lamar and say, which one of these did you say? He's just going to sit there and laugh so hard he'd almost wet his pants, probably.

[Celisia Stanton]

Keith's attorneys declined the judge's offer. The trial began in the summer of 1995. It had been two years since the riot, and in an attempt to ensure fairness, the case had been moved to a Nearby county just 30 miles from Lucasville. The area Was overwhelmingly white. Out of all the potential jurors, only two were black, and both were dismissed.

[Keith Lamar (continued narrative/reflection)]

A white judge, white prosecutor team, and even the defense team. My attorneys were white, so I was the only black person in the whole courtroom.

[Celisia Stanton]

I picture Keith sitting in court listening to the prosecutor's case against him. To them, the story was clear. Keith wasn't a part of the initial group that started the riot, but he took advantage of the chaos. As their story went, Keith's hatred of snitches led him to assemble a so called death squad. And on that warm and fateful Easter Sunday, After Keith went inside to check on his belongings, he acted quickly. He and his spontaneously formed death squad moved through the prison, Killing four people before he returned to the wreckyard. The next day, the prosecution claimed Keith identified Dennis Weaver as another snitch and forced the other men in the cell to murder him. But the state had a problem. There was no physical evidence linking Keith to any of the deaths. So they leaned on the one thing they did have. The word. Of eight prison informants. Six of the eight said Keith led the death squad. But as Herman saw it, many of the stories didn't pass a gut check. Do you think people lied?

[Herman Carson]

Oh, no doubt, no doubt about it.

[Celisia Stanton]

Take Tony Taylor, for example. According to his testimony, Keith and the death squad handed him a bat and ordered him to beat a man to death.

[Herman Carson]

If you laid eyes on Tony Taylor, nobody tells that man what to do. I mean, he is one of the biggest men I have ever seen. His biceps are probably as big as my thighs. You know, if they put a ball bat in his hand and he didn't want to kill that guy, he could have started swinging. So I don't even think that was true. Or if somebody did tell him to kill him, he wasn't coerced into it.

[Celisia Stanton]

Then there was Stacy Gordon, who testified that Keith led the death squad. But years later, Keith's team discovered something critical. In Stacy's original interview with investigators, he said he didn't even know who Keith Lamar was. By the time he took the stand, though, his story had completely changed. But the contradictions didn't end there. For one of the five murders, investigators had a sworn statement from a different man admitting that he committed the crime. For another, the state had previously indicted someone else entirely, Frederick Frakes. They even had an eyewitness who said they saw Frakes deliver the fatal blow. But somewhere along the way, the charges against Frakes, they mysteriously disappeared. And Keith's team, they never got access to any. Any of this during trial. Which meant that they couldn't use any of that information to question the reliability of the witnesses or the state's case against keith. With so many stories changing, my team asked herman why he thought the state's witnesses would lie on the stand. His theory lined up with Keith's. They cut deals with the state.

[Herman Carson]

He said the first witness they put on was a career stop and rob. Rob. Or he would go to convenience stores and rob them. His name was bobby bass and was doing, I don't know, like 14 to 50 or something for two consecutive armed robberies. And no, there's no deal, man. No deal. His next parole date, he was paroled. He got out. Here was a guy that should have been looking at doing most of his 50 years, and he got out real quick. First parole hearing after the trial. So I'm sure there were other ones like that.

[Celisia Stanton]

With no physical evidence and informants whose stories changed constantly, Keith's defense team did what they could. They called five witnesses. Four said they'd seen keith outside in the rec yard, Far from where the murders happened. But even that fell apart.

[Herman Carson]

We called a young man named geno washington. And geno had told us at least once, if not twice, that he had never given a statement to the highway patrol. And as soon as we stopped our direct examination, Bill anderson, one of the two prosecutors, jumped up and he hands me like a four page statement by geno Washington that implicates Keith in being in the death squad. And gino had to read that statement to the jury and sit there and say, well, I just told you a little bit ago is the truth. That's not the truth. It was just horrible.

[Celisia Stanton]

Eventually, keith took the stand in his own defense. But when the prosecution challenged him with their own narrative, Keith struggled to argue against it.

[Keith Lamar]

I couldn't respond because I wasn't in the writer, I wasn't there. I don't know what he talking about. Which was the truth. That's the only thing I said. And when you say that over and over again, you asking the jury to believe that these law abiding citizens, prosecutors, they went to law school, they upstanding members of a community, so on and so forth. You asking us to believe that these good people was stooped to the level of lying on. And so now the jury is upset with me because I'm saying over again, I don't know what you're talking about.

[Keith Lamar (continued narrative/reflection)]

You know what I mean?

[Keith Lamar]

It was ingenious. It's genius what they did.

[Celisia Stanton]

Waiting for the verdict, Keith's team was not optimistic.

[Herman Carson]

You know, in my mind, you know, it was foregone conclusion that's what was going to happen. And I don't even remember how long the deliberations were. But you expected that they were going to drop the 2 ton boulder on top of you. I use the saying there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And yes, it is an oncoming locomotive. So don't expect that there's going to be a light at the end of the tunnel that gets you out of anything. Because more often than not in the criminal justice system, that light's going to be the light of the oncoming locomotive.

[Celisia Stanton]

But Keith, Herman thought was still betting on that light.

[Herman Carson]

I think that he had hope up until that moment.

[Celisia Stanton]

But turned out Herman was wrong. Keith knew.

[Keith Lamar]

I understood midway through that I was going to be found guilty. I mean, I saw the clouds forming. I saw that. I know when it's about to rain. You know, I felt all those things.

[Celisia Stanton]

And he was right. The jury found Keith Lamar guilty on all five counts of murder. Now all that was left was to find out whether the state would execute him for it.

[Lemonade Pet Insurance Advertiser]

At Maurices, we're all about great jeans. You know, the ones that fit you just right. The ones that go from work days to weekends and everywhere in between. The ones that simply make you feel good because you don't just wear jeans, you live in them. With 25 sizes, five lengths and six denim brands, you've got options and fit experts in every store. To make jean shopping easier, find great jeans starting at $29.90 in stores and.

[Sarah Turney]

At Marisa's.com you open the fridge, there's nothing there. So what's it going to be? Greasy pizza? Sad Drive thru burgers? Dish by Blue Apron is for nights like that.

[Lemonade Pet Insurance Advertiser]

These are the pre made meals of your dream.

[Sarah Turney]

At least 20 grams of protein. No artificial flavors or colors. No chopping, no cleanup, no guilt.

[Celisia Stanton]

Keep the flavor, ditch the subscription.

[Sarah Turney]

Get 20% off your first two orders with code APRON20. Terms and conditions apply. Visit blueapron.com terms for more.

[Chumba Casino Advertiser]

Ready to level up? Champa Casino is your playbook to fun. It's free to play with no purchase necessary. Enjoy hundreds of online social games like blackjack, sleep slots and solitaire anytime anywhere. With fresh releases every week. Whether you are at home or on the go, let Chumba Casino bring the excitement to you. Plus get free daily login bonuses and a free welcome bonus. Join now for your chance to redeem some serious prizes. Play Chumba Casino today. No purchase necessary. VGW Group void board prohibited by law 21/TNCs apply.

[Celisia Stanton]

I asked Keith what he remembered from. From the day of his sentencing.

[Keith Lamar]

My nerves are kind of, you know, that's what I'm breathing, just like I'm about to step into a rain or something, you know, And I come through this little hallway and I come to the courtroom. Same courtroom, same hallway I walked through for the last 30 days.

[Celisia Stanton]

Same scene, different day. And just like he'd done for the last month, Keith expected to walk into a mostly empty courtroom. But when he opened the doors, the scene had changed.

[Keith Lamar]

I mean, it was standing room on me. It was packed until my shoulder to shoulder. These people had on ties, nice dresses. It was like a horror movie. But this your life, though, you coming out and all this ceremony, everybody's standing like this is the most righteous shit in the world about to happen.

[Celisia Stanton]

Almost none of the people in that room had been there for the trial. They hadn't heard the evidence. They hadn't seen the contradictions. But now they filled the seats, watching silently as if attending a performance. And at the center of it all stood Keith, just 25 years old, shackled, wearing his prison uniform, and about to address the court one final time. There's a video of this moment on Keith's website. In it, you can hear a younger version of the voice you've gotten to know over the last few episodes. And despite everything, despite the weight of the room, despite the certainty of what was coming, Keith didn't beg for his life. He stood and spoke with the calm and clarity of a man who had already made peace with his truth.

[Keith Lamar (courtroom speech)]

Whole trial has been said, repeatedly said by the prosecutor that every man must be held accountable for his actions.

[Keith Lamar]

I agree with that.

[Keith Lamar (courtroom speech)]

1988, I was caught. Still as a jury. I jury stuff because of my accident. I plead guilty and was sentenced to two years imprisonment in 1989. Killed a man. Because my actions had pled guilty, I was sentenced to a term of 18 years of life imprisonment. 1990. In 1994, I was charged nine counts of aggravated murder. Death penalty specifications. But because of my accident, I begged out guilty. I placed my life in the hands of a uncanny thief. I can see here, y', all. I'd have been came out to kill me. My faith ain't gonna allow me to do that. And I don't believe in what took place in this courtroom. Prosecutor hid evidence. He encouraged witnesses. Well, every man must be held accountable.

[Celisia Stanton]

Except one. After his speech, Keith returned to his seat. The judge didn't take long. At just 25 years old, Keith Lamar was sentenced to death. Leaving the courtroom, Keith had no idea about what was to come. He assumed he'd be going back to Lucasville. But when the transport van pulled up outside of the prison, he saw his belongings waiting on the curb.

[Keith Lamar (continued narrative/reflection)]

They took that and put it into the transport van, and we made the long journey to northern Ohio. So I had that five, six hours to really kind of make an attempt to wrap my mind around everything that had just occurred, not just that day, but over the ensuing year and a half or so. Because now, having had nothing to do with the ride, I'm on a bus on my way to this place called death row.

[Celisia Stanton]

I asked him what it was like processing all of this in a transport van barreling towards Northern Ohio.

[Keith Lamar (continued narrative/reflection)]

It was just being submerged underwater, being buried alive, basically watching a hole being dug and slowly coming to awareness that I was going to have to live in that hole that was being prepared for me. So by the time that five hours elapsed and I'm pulling into the prison, I'm more angry than confused.

[Celisia Stanton]

And in that moment, angry, alone and terrified, Keith made a decision.

[Keith Lamar (continued narrative/reflection)]

I don't know where I'm going. I don't know what's waiting on me. I just knew that I wasn't going to go along with it. I didn't know what that meant or how that would materialize my resistance, but I knew I would resist. I would not just accept it, that I would go kicking and screaming to my death whenever that occurred.

[Celisia Stanton]

When they brought him through the doors at Mansfield Correctional, Keith was handed a new prison ID number. A fresh start, but not the kind anyone would want. And then something happened. Something small, but it was the beginning of everything.

[Keith Lamar (continued narrative/reflection)]

And so they was about to bring me to death row proper and drive me through these doors. And I just remember I stopped walking, which is funny when I look back on it, my 24 year old self. But I know that that was the only thing he could have done. Because I didn't know the law. I didn't know how to write. I didn't have a support network, didn't have anything but my feet. And I just told him to stop moving, stop. And they drugged me down this long corridor to my cell. That's how my tenure on death row began.

[Celisia Stanton]

Entering Mansfield, Keith had clung to his defiance like it was a shield, determined not to break no matter what they did to him. He didn't know the law, he didn't have a team behind him, but he had his body. And on his first day on death row. He used it to say no. That was the beginning of Keith's next chapter of a fight that would span decades. Of a story that, trust me, you haven't even heard the wildest parts of yet. That's next time on Truer Crime. I'll be back next week with the fourth and final episode about Keith Lamar and the Lucasfilm riot. But in the meantime, if you're looking to dig deeper into Keith's story, there's a book you need to check out. It's called the Whole Story, and it's Keith's memoir, written entirely from death row. In it, he offers a raw, unfiltered account of the 1993 Lucasville uprising, his trial, and the time he spent in confinement. Keith lays out his version of events and the evidence that he says the state of Ohio suppressed, building a case for why he believes he's innocent and how the system failed him. It's a powerful, urgent read, and I really don't say that lightly because this was not an easy book to write. With no access to a computer, Keith handwrote the manuscript and then he got on 15 minute phone calls with his friend and dictated it to somebody on the outside who was able to type it for him. And I say 15 minute phone calls because after 15 minutes the call would cut off and they'd have to restart, start it again. So, so much went into making this book possible, and I think it really highlights the amount of determination that it takes to get your story out there, especially if you're someone incarcerated. So I'd really encourage folks to check out the book, read his important story. You can order Condemned the Whole Story through the link on our website or directly on Keith's [e-mail] As always, you can find a full list of today's sources and action [e-mail] and if you want to keep in touch between episodes, Truer Crime is on Instagram and xrewercrimepod. You can also find me on Instagram and TikTok, Lacey Stanton, and through my weekly newsletter, [e-mail] True crime is created, hosted and written by me, Celisia Stanton, and is a production of Tenderfoot TV in association with Odyssey. Additional writing, research and production by Olivia Heusenfeld and Jamie Albright. Executive producers are myself, Donald Albright and Payne Lindsay. Editing by Liam Luxon, artwork by Station 16, original music by Jay Ragsdale and makeup and vanity set mix by Dayton Cole. Thank you to Oren Rosenbaum and the team at uta, the Nord Group, and the team at Odyssey. For more podcasts like Truer Crime, search Tenderfoot TV on your favorite podcast app or visit us@Tenderfoot TV. Thanks for listening.

[Keith Lamar (continued narrative/reflection)]

Foreign.

[Celisia Stanton]

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of True Crime. If you want an ad free version of the show, plus early access to every episode for this month's case and tons of other great Tenderfoot podcasts, you can subscribe to Tenderfoot plus at tenderfootplus.com or on Apple Podcasts. It's a small way to support the work, and it makes a big difference. Limu Emu and Doug Limu and I always tell you to customize your car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. But now we want you to feel it. Cue the emu music. Limu Save yourself the money today. Increase your wealth.

[Herman Carson]

Cuz.

[Celisia Stanton]

That may have been too much feeling.

[Keith Lamar]

Only pay for what you need@liberty mutual.com.

[Celisia Stanton]

Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty Savings Very underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company Affiliates.

[Keith Lamar]

Excludes Massachusetts.

[Celisia Stanton]

You never think it's gonna be in your small town.

[Sarah Turney]

It's gonna be someone you know on a missing poster.

[Celisia Stanton]

True or Crime podcast is back, and this season every story has something in common. It's not what it's not. Seems there's word tonight of a prison riot I wanted to stop. From Molly Tibbets to the Menendez brothers, this season we're exploring what the headlines missed and the people they left behind. Listen to True Crime for free on the iHeartRadio app, Spotify, Amazon Music, or Apple Podcasts.