Daniel Rodriguez: Chicago, Illinois: Bulletin: Lawsuit launched against notorious ex-Chicago police detective: He woke up every day believing that one day they were going to say "we made a mistake, you're free." it never happened. Reporter Mitch Dudek (Sun-Time Media Wire) reports on the lawsuit that Daniel Rodriguez has launched against former Chicago police detective Reynaldo Guevara and others - alleging that a false confession led to his murder conviction and 13 years wrongfully spent behind bars..."The city last year paid out $20.5 million to Armando Serrano and Jose Montanez, who each spent 23 years in prison after being framed by Guevara. Guevara for years has refused to answer questions about his investigations, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination at numerous hearings. Cook County Judge James Obbish in 2016 said Guevara responded with "bald-faced lies" when the retired detective was compelled to answer questions under oath in 2016 after prosecutors granted him immunity for his testimony about the case against Gabriel Solache and Arturo Reyes."

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: This Blog is interested in false confessions because of the disturbing number of exonerations in the USA, Canada and multiple other jurisdictions throughout the world, where, in the absence of incriminating forensic evidence the conviction is based on self-incrimination – and because of the growing body of  scientific research showing how vulnerable suspects (especially young suspects)  are to widely used interrogation methods  such as  the notorious ‘Reid Technique.’ As  all too many of this Blog's post have shown, I also recognize that pressure for false confessions can take many forms, up to and including inducement. deception (read ‘outright lies’) physical violence,  and even physical and mental torture.

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog:

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STORY: Man sues detective, alleging forced false confession led to murder conviction, 13 years behind bars, by Reporter Mitch Dudek, published by Sun-Time Media Wire, on November 8, 2022.

SUB-HEADING: "I woke up every day believing that one day they were going to say "we made a mistake, you're free. But it never happened."

GIST: A man who claims a Chicago police detective framed him for a Northwest Side murder - resulting in 13 years behind bars - has filed a lawsuit against the city and several detectives.

Daniel Rodriguez was convicted in the 1991 shooting death of Jose "Junito" Hernandez Jr. based on a confession he long claimed was the result of threats and physical abuse by former Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara.

In April, Cook County Judge Sophia Atcherson vacated Rodriquez's conviction, the 21st time a case handled by Guevara had been overturned based on allegations of misconduct by the detective.

After Atcherson handed down her decision, Rodriguez told the Sun-Times: "I woke up every day believing that one day the cell door was going to open and they were going to say, 'We made a mistake. You're free.' But it never happened."

Rodriguez has since gained a certificate of innocence from the court.

The civil lawsuit was filed Monday against the city of Chicago, Guevara and several other detectives involved in the case. It seeks unspecified monetary damages.

Attorneys from the law firm of Loevy and Loevy who are representing Rodriguez point out that the city has already spent more than $75 million of taxpayer money paying for wrongful convictions caused by Guevara.

Rodriguez is married, has several kids and works as a driver for a trucking firm, according to his attorneys.

The city last year paid out $20.5 million to Armando Serrano and Jose Montanez, who each spent 23 years in prison after being framed by Guevara. Guevara for years has refused to answer questions about his investigations, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination at numerous hearings.

Cook County Judge James Obbish in 2016 said Guevara responded with "bald-faced lies" when the retired detective was compelled to answer questions under oath in 2016 after prosecutors granted him immunity for his testimony about the case against Gabriel Solache and Arturo Reyes.

Rodriguez's attorney, Anand Swaminathan, said Tuesday there are "dozens" of pending cases in which defendants have claimed they were framed by Guevara."

The entire story can be read at:

https://abc7chicago.com/wrongful-conviction-chicago-police-lawsuit-against-reynaldo-guevara/12431703/

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:  I am monitoring this case/issue/resurce. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic"  section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com.  Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;

SEE BREAKDOWN OF  SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG,  AT THE LINK BELOW:  HL:

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985

FINAL WORD:  (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases):  "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."

Lawyer Radha Natarajan:

Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;

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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions.   They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!

Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;

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