Innocent Man Cleared Of Rape Charges

Dean Cage Is The 217th Convict Exhonerated By DNA Evidence With Help From The Innocence Project

(AP)  A calm Dean Cage offered some hard-earned advice Wednesday, hours after being released from prison after serving more than 12 years for a rape he didn't commit.

"If you believe in something, fight for it," the 41-year-old said. "The truth will come out in the end."

Cage, who became the 29th Illinoisan to be exonerated by DNA evidence, was convicted in 1996 and sentenced to 40 years in prison for the rape of a 15-year-old girl. On Tuesday, Chief Criminal Court Judge Paul Biebel dismissed the conviction at the request of the Cook County state's attorney's office.

Cage was released from Illinois River Correctional Center in Canton late Tuesday evening and went straight to his mother's home on Chicago's South Side for an all-night celebration with family.

"It didn't seem like it was real," he said of life on the outside. "It was really scary. At the same time, it was a blessing."

Dressed in baggy jeans and a white T-shirt, Cage told reporters Wednesday that he got through the toughest times in prison with the support of his family, reading novels, playing basketball and faith.

"There's a God up there. He blessed me," Cage said. "I couldn't have done this without him."

The New York-based Innocence Project worked for several years on Cage's case, and said nationally he is the 217th person exonerated by post-conviction DNA evidence. Only Texas, with 31, has more DNA exoneration cases than Illinois.

"The single greatest cause of wrongful convictions is victim misidentification," said attorney Peter Neufeld, a co-founder of the organization.

Cage, who worked at a Chicago supermarket, said he was home at the time the teenager said she was attacked while walking to school in November 1994.

The teenager gave a composite drawing description to authorities and after it was circulated police brought Cage in as a suspect. The girl identified him as her attacker.

Cage was also accused in the rape of a 29-year-old woman, but acquitted of those charges. Evidence at the time discounted Cage as the attacker, Neufeld said.

Cage, who has always maintained his innocence, said he asked numerous times for a DNA test while in jail. He said his family had even tried to pay for it themselves.

He wrote to the Innocence Project and they took his case in 2004.

While in prison, Cage missed his three young boys growing up, both his grandparents' funerals and the 12 surgeries his mother underwent for thyroid and heart conditions.

"They stole my son's life. They stole mine too," Cage's 63-year-old mother Jerley said through tears.

Cage appeared overwhelmed on Wednesday, saying he was amazed by advances in technology, especially all "the little phones." Cage said he wasn't angry or bitter and renewed his faith by reading the Bible.

"We can never know how he got through those years," said Alba Morales, an attorney who worked on Cage's case.

Innocence Project officials made an appeal to Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Wednesday to pardon Cage and others in his same situation, so that they can receive compensation due to them under state law.

Cage, who said he has no money or material possessions, said he will try to look for work.

"I guess I gotta try to take one day at a time," he said.

[kansas1946]

Cage, who has always maintained his innocence, said he asked numerous times for a DNA test while in jail. He said his family had even tried to pay for it themselves.
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Why in God''s name are states not routinely conducting DNA tests for prisoners when it is available and could have bearing on their guilt or innocence. Are prosecutors and state justice systems all so corrupt that all they want is to keep "someone" in prison with not regard as to whether the person is guilty or not. I thought this whole process was call the "Justice System." Where is the justice in only caring about a conviction, not justice.

[funkiwiteboy]

i think if more folks was packin iron to protect themselves and their everything
and laws would protect them,
and lawyers/judges/politicians could''nt get rich manipulating those laws this country would be going in the right direction....AMEN

[jeannec3]

DaVicar2
I wonder if you would feel the same way if it was you that was sitting in jail for 12years and still had 28 years to go. And all the while YOU knew you didn''t do it !!

[kailumego1]

I watched a HBO documentary, where in Florida, a young black teen age 15 had been wrongfully accused of murdering an elderly white woman, of which her husband, along with the unlawful urging of police identified him as the shooter.

The young teen was walking to "Blockbuster Video" store when police officers stopped him, ask if he would come over to the squad car, where the victim''s husband was sitting, and ask him is this the man that shot your wife, which he replied yes.

Immediately they took him into custody, without notifying his parents, or reading him his rights, asking him did he wish to speak to an attorney, etc.

They literally railroaded this kid, because he was black, and the victim was white.

And the plot thickens, the alledged crime, a botched robbery, occurred early in the morning, when the alledged accused was at home.

[kailumego1]

Some two-three hours later he was walking in the area minding his business going to "Blockbusters Video", when officers approached him.

The victim was murdered by a black male, but not the alledged accused, which detectives did a sloppy job of gathering evidence.
They retrieved her purse, but did not attempte to collect "fingerprints", or DNA.

And to add insult to injury, they found her purse miles from the crime scene, in a dumpster, at a known drug-haven, and never bothered to question residents, accept for harrashing the homeless white male near the scene, which they accused him of taking the gun out of the purse.

The case went to trial, which trial unleashed some disturbing information of police brutality by three officers, two white and one black, the black officer took the suspect into the woods and physically assaulted him, calling him a liar, hitting him in the stomach and face.

[kailumego1]

To make a long story short, he was found not guilty, by 8 whites and 4 blacks, which his white defense attorney took it upon himself to search for the "real" killer, he found him, it was two black males, the shooter, who looked the total opposite of this young black male, a brownskinned frail black male with Eurocentric features, compared to a darkskinned medium built male with pronounced negroid features.

The lousy police department finally dusted the purse for fingerprints, which matched the "real killer", which they were convicted.


Racism, Judasism, and incompetence, this young man was incredibilly blessed, because he had an excellent defense team [pro-bono], loving parents, and an unbiased jury.

This case demonstrates that "evil" is pervasive within all races, because if it wasn''t for his white attorneys, one male and one female, an unbiased jury, and a tolerant white judge, that saw through the corruption, this young man would have recieved the "death penalty".

I purposefully mentioned the race of all players, to bring home a point, not all white folks are corrupted and evil, while not all blacks are "good".

The black cop that viciously beat this young man, and the two black perpetrators that stood back and let this innocent black teen go the jail for a crime they committed.

[isntitobvus]

DaVicar2: you sound like some other white idiots here in America that I have had the misfortune of meeting.
Oh ... before you make another mistake in judgment - I''m an European-American (that''s the same as ''white'', but without your bigotry)

[whatithink-2009]

DaVicar2,

It''s unfortunate people like you who they put on juries who are so happy to convict somebody that they''ll convict anybody...even innocent people. You should be ashamed!

[chenz66]

DaVicar2,

What would you call fair compensation for someone who lost 12 years of their life for a bogus charge? What was your point about being arrested twice? He was acquitted of those charges as well. They only thing that it proves is that this guy was in the wrong place at the wrong time twice or because he''s black he looks like others so it must be him. I feel bad for the guy, he lost out on seeing his kids grow up. I''m not happy about it either but a cool million seems about right. That''s what I''d be going for.

[magoo2u1]

"I''''m not understanding how this continues to happen in the State of Illinois."
Actually, it happened years ago. And there are more. Prosecutors cannot be held accountable for convicting innocent people. The citizens of the county are held accountable through their taxes.
A prosecutor and investigators admitted to planting evidence to convict an innocent man. In an interview they stated they planted the evidence because they were convinced the man was guilty but couldn''t prove it. Turned out he wasn''t guilty. Their punishment? Nothing, couldn''t be touched.

[godseyesore-2009]

The prosecutors of the innocent should be incarcerated for the same amount of time served.

[concorde5]

Actually it''s not sad for everyone. The true rapist is probably happy as a clam. He is the only one to benefit from this whole mess.

[concorde5]

I agree. Texas is a terrible place. It is a stain on the south. Any state that can give us an idiot like Bush isn''t worth sh*t.

We can''t keep locking up innocent people based on faulty testimony. Then when the individual is found innocent they just boot him out of prison without a dime to his name after they have robbed him of his life. This is a terrible tragedy for all.

The state has paid for 12 years of imprisonment of an innocent man, The girl who was raped has to live with the fact that the true rapist got away, and the wrongly convicted man has lost most of his life, and his family and children have grown up without a father.

It''s sad for everyone.

[nelliebell2]

Congrats to Dean Cage, what an incredible story. I''d like to hear the victims side, the now 27 year old. Although Dean Cage is also a victim. What does she think of this and what she thinks of the REAL criminal that''s still out there.

[myhouseintl]

Dean is The "Ford Heights 5!" I''m not understanding how this continues to happen in the State of Illinois. Cage who attended Medgar Evers Elementary in Ford Heights, Il joined his infamous "Ford Heights Four" by becoming an recipient of injustice.

I went through the same thing in Elkhart, Indiana when I was jailed for some BS. My only crime? Going to military training and preparing to deploy to Iraq and fighting our Nations Wars and Protecting our way of life.

When will this garbage justice end?

You guys are as bad as the people who put him in jail. Stereotyping christians and texans. The problem in this country today is intolerance. You might as well be racist too.

[carlylaine]

I want to say this as well...you Texans who think your guns (and I am a Constitutional gun proponent)and your dislike of blacks is a cute "the TEXAS way" belief should be mortified that US citizens are being treated this way.

You vote the idiots in who adhere to these out-dated ideas. You should have to suffer with your own belief-system. Once all of you morons-TEXAS citizens-have to watch your taxes pay out all of these injustices to all of these men then you may wise up. This isn''t funny...it''s tragic that this cr@p still goes on here in the United States.

[carlylaine]

Wow...this is incredible. Ok, Dean...go after them legally...and sit pretty and happy for the rest of your life. Texas sucks..I know I lived there for 13 years.

[l8c6]

ah, clarification...The right wing faux right to be self appointed judge and executioner.

[l8c6]

I wonder how much blood is on the hands of right wing evangelical faux christians, their preacher men, and the diabolical right wing republicon neo cons who always stand by their right to be judge and executioner. Maybe Jesus knows?