Chicago man files lawsuit over wrongful murder conviction that sent him to prison for 29 years
A Chicago man who spent 29 years in prison for a crime he did not commit is now suing the police officers who put him there.
Jerry Herrington's murder conviction was vacated in March.
The lawsuit said at the age of 16, Herrington was arrested and charged with the June 22, 1991, murder of Vera Brown in the Dearborn Homes public housing development on the city's South Side.
Herrington was not present at the time of Brown's murder, knew nothing about it, and was never identified by anyone as being involved in the murder before he went to trial, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit accused Chicago police officers and detectives of manipulating another man into falsely identifying Herrington as the shooter at trial, and falsifying reports that Herrington had confessed. The lawsuit said Herrington never confessed despite "physical abuse and unconstitutional interrogation tactics after the arrest."
The Illinois Innocence Project said Herrington spent 29 years in prison until being released at the age of 45 in 2020. He served his full sentence, according to the Illinois Innocence Project.
In March, a Cook County judge vacated Herrington's conviction and exonerated him.
"But even though I'm exonerated, I've still got to fight and prove my innocence, because this city has a problem with accountability; being corrected," Herrington said Tuesday.
Herrington filed a civil lawsuit against the officers, as well as the City of Chicago and Cook County.