Politics

Here Are the 17 Men Chicago Will Pay $260.8M After Being Convicted Following Investigations by Ex-CPD Detective Reynaldo Guevara

Here Are the Stories of the 17 Men Chicago Will Pay $260.8M After Being Convicted by Ex-CPD Detective Reynaldo Guevara

Chicago taxpayers will pay $260.8 million to 17 men who spent a combined 383 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted based on evidence gathered by disgraced former Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara.

Many of their cases are similar. A high-profile crime claims at least one life and seizes the media spotlight. Guevara gets a crucial tip, in many cases from an anonymous source, that leads him to a suspect. Guevara questions a witness, and they make a vital identification, ensuring a critical piece of evidence falls into place. Guevara interrogates a suspect, and a confession results.

Each settlement will be paid in four equal payments in April and October 2027 and April and October 2028, records show. All of the men were represented by Loevy & Loevy, who will get 40% of the settlement, as per their agreement with their clients, records show.

“Reynaldo Guevara destroyed the lives of countless young men and women, their families, and the entire Chicago community that he terrorized,” said Anand Swaminathan, an attorney for the plaintiffs. “No amount of money can correct the harm that Guevara caused or repay these 17 men for the nearly 400 years they spent wrongfully incarcerated.”

Here are their stories.

Louis Robinson: 26 Years in Prison, $18.8M

Chicago taxpayers will pay $18.8 million to a man who spent 26 years in prison after being convicted of killing a 17-year-old girl during a drive-by shooting three decades ago, records show.

Kelly Velez, a Schaumburg resident, was shot twice outside a Logan Square gas station while talking with friends on the night of June 20, 1996, records show. Police believed the bullets were meant for Velez’s boyfriend, Oscar Betancourt, a member of a street gang, records show.

Initially, Guevara believed the shooting that killed Velez was sparked by a separate shooting earlier that night, which wounded Rogelio Barnes, Louis Robinson’s cousin.

Betancourt identified Robinson as the gunman, even though he did not fit the description of the gunman provided by witnesses, records show.

Robinson was convicted by a judge and sentenced to 60 years in prison, ruling that Betancourt provided the key piece of testimony, records show.

In 2019, when Robinson appealed his conviction, he said he heard Guevara tell Betancourt to identify Robinson as the gunman or face charges in his girlfriend’s slaying. Robinson said he had refused to falsely implicate another man in an unrelated crime, records show.

In 2022, Betancourt said he would invoke his constitutional right against self-incrimination if he was called to testify about his identification of Robinson as his girlfriend’s killer.

Robinson’s conviction was vacated in 2023 and he was released from prison. In 2024, a judge granted him a certificate of innocence.

City officials paid private attorneys $744,000 to defend Robinson’s lawsuit.

David Lugo: 24 Years, $18M

Chicago taxpayers will pay $18 million to a man who spent 29 years in prison after being convicted of killing a 16-year-old boy three and a half decades ago, records show.

Michel Velez was riding his bicycle in Logan Square on the evening of June 19, 1991, when a gunman shot him three times and fled, records show.

Before Velez died, he identified the person who shot him as a member of a street gang named “Malo” or “Marlow,” records show.

Police knew that Lugo, who was then known as David Colon, belonged to the gang and had a nickname of “Malo.” A witness to the shooting identified him as the shooter to Guevara, records show.

Lugo was convicted and sentenced to 50 years in prison. He was paroled in 2017, records show.

The witness to the shooting recanted his identification of Lugo three times, testifying that Guevara had pressured him to identify Lugo as the shooter.

In 2022, Lugo’s conviction was overturned, with the judge ruling that Guevara had identified him to the witness and told the witness to identify him as the gunman. A judge granted Lugo a certificate of innocence in 2023.

City officials paid $1.2 million to private attorneys to defend Lugo’s lawsuit, records show.

Johnny Flores: 28 Years, $17.9M

Chicago taxpayers will pay $17.9 million to a man who spent nearly 28 years in prison after being convicted of a murder that took place nearly four decades ago, records show.

Jeffrey Rhodes, 20, was shot and killed on a Logan Square sidewalk just before 9 p.m. on Nov. 22, 1989, while walking with a friend, records show.

No one was arrested in connection with Rhodes’ murder until March 1990, when Guevara said an informant had told him the shooter was 19-year-old Johnny Flores, who police believed to be a member of a gang.

A friend of Rhodes, who was with him when he died, identified Flores as the man who shot him, records show.

Based only on that identification, Flores was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison, records show. He was paroled in 2018, records show.

In 2022, Flores’ conviction was overturned and in 2023 he received a certificate of innocence.

City officials paid nearly $939,000 to private attorneys to defend Flores’ lawsuit, records show.

Juan and Rosendo Hernandez: Combined 50 Years, $17.3M Each

Chicago taxpayers will pay a combined $34.7 million to two brothers who each spent 25 years in prison after being convicted of a 1997 murder, records show.

Jorge Gonzalez, 18, was shot and killed when two gunmen opened fire on a group listening to music on the porches of two Belmont Cragin homes during the night of June 27, 1997. Another teen was wounded, records show.

After an anonymous tip, Guevara arrested Juan and Rosendo Hernandez and several witnesses identified them as the gunmen who opened fire on the group, records show.

The 19- and 20-year-old brothers, who both belonged to a street gang, were well-known to police, records show.

Rosendo Hernandez was convicted in 1999, despite offering evidence that he was at a bowling alley watching a boxing match at the time of the killing, and sentenced to 75 years in prison. Prosecutors tried Juan Hernandez twice, after a judge declared a mistrial after learning that his lawyer once represented Guevara in a civil matter and failed to disclose that fact to his client.

Juan Hernandez was convicted in 2001, after the judge refused to allow a man to testify that he falsely identified both brothers, members of a rival gang, as the gunmen after police refused to release him, records show. Juan Hernandez was sentenced to 86 years in prison, records show.

Juan Hernandez appealed his conviction, citing evidence gathered during the FBI investigation of Chicago Police Officer Joseph Miedzianowski, who was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for racketeering and drug conspiracy in 2001.

An informant told federal agents that Guevara framed the Hernandez brothers at the request of Miedzianowski because Juan Hernandez was a rival drug dealer, records show.

The convictions of Juan and Rosendo Hernandez were vacated in 2022, with the judge in the case calling Guevara a “lying, scheming person,” records show. Both men were granted certificates of innocence in 2023, records show.

City officials paid more than $2 million to private attorneys to defend the lawsuit filed by the Hernandez brothers, records show.

Edwin Davila: 24 Years, $17M

Chicago taxpayers will pay $17 million to a man who spent nearly 24 years in prison after being convicted of a 1995 murder, records show.

Jaime Alvarez, 18, was shot and killed when two gunmen opened fire on the car he was riding in the early morning hours of July 2, 1995, in Wicker Park, records show. Michael Ybarra, the driver of the car, was wounded, records show.

Although Ybarra initially told police he did not see who shot him and Alvarez, he later identified Edwin Davila during a photographic lineup put together by Guevara, records show.

Davila was convicted of killing Alvarez and wounding Ybarra and sentenced to 50 years in prison. He was released on parole in 2020, records show.

In 2022, Davila’s conviction was overturned. In 2023, a judge granted him a certificate of innocence.

City officials paid nearly $935,000 to private attorneys to defend Davila’s lawsuit, records show.

Gamalier Rivera: 21 Years, $16.3M

Chicago taxpayers will pay $16.3 million to a man who spent more than 21 years in prison after being convicted of a 1996 murder, records show.

Jesus Ramos, 14, was shot and killed in a Humboldt Park alley at 11:30 p.m. on April 22, 1996, while attempting to sell cocaine, records show. Antonio Diaz, who was there to buy drugs with his wife and friend, was wounded, records show.

Guevara arrested Gamalier Rivera after the wounded man as well as Diaz’s friend and wife identified him as the gunmen who opened fire on the group, records show.

After prosecutors argued the shooting was part of a battle over territory between two gangs, Rivera was convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison. Rivera was released on parole in 2019, records show.

In 2022, Rivera’s conviction was overturned. In 2023, a judge granted him a certificate of innocence.

City officials paid nearly $908,000 to private attorneys to defend Rivera’s lawsuit, records show.

Thomas Kelly and Jose Martinez: Combined 44 Years, $31.4M

Chicago taxpayers will pay a combined $31.4 million to two men who spent a combined 44 years in prison after being convicted of a 1998 murder, records show.

Daniel Garcia, 24, was beaten to death in the early morning hours of Oct. 12, 1998, in a Logan Square alley where he attempted to buy drugs, records show.

After interviewing witnesses to the beating, Guevara identified three suspects in Garcia’s killing, including Thomas Kelly, who was then 17, and Jose Martinez, then 18.

After being interrogated by Guevara, Kelly confessed to taking part in Garcia’s beating. After being charged, Kelly said he falsely confessed after Guevara promised not to charge him with murder, records show.

Martinez said he confessed to kicking Garcia after Guevara and other detectives denied him food and sleep for 48 hours and was promised that he could go home afterward, records show.

Kelly and Martinez were sentenced to 25 years in prison.

A witness who identified Martinez and Kelly as the killers later testified Guevara forced her to accuse Kelly and two other men of the crime after threatening to arrest her on an outstanding warrant.

Martinez’s conviction was overturned and he was released in 2023, records show. Kelly was released on parole in 2024, days before his conviction was overturned.

Martinez and Kelly were granted certificates of innocence in 2024.

Taxpayers will pay $16 million to resolve Kelly’s lawsuit, while Martinez will be paid $15.4 million to drop his lawsuit, records show.

A lawsuit filed by another man convicted in Garcia’s death is still pending against the city.

City officials paid nearly $1.2 million to private attorneys to defend the lawsuits filed by Martinez and Kelly, records show.

Antonio McDowell: Spent 23 Years, $15.9M 

Chicago taxpayers will pay $15.9 million to a man who spent more than 23 years in prison after being convicted of a 1996 murder, records show.

Mario Castro, 41, was shot and killed in the alley behind his home on the afternoon of Dec. 21, 1996, records show. Castro’s nephew confronted the man who was rifling through his uncle’s pockets, who shot at him, missing, records show.

Thirty minutes after the gunman fled, a woman was carjacked a few blocks from Castro’s home.

No one was arrested in connection with either crime until July 1997, when Antonio McDowell was shot in the hand. McDowell testified that Guevara pressed him to identify a particular person as a suspect in his shooting, but McDowell refused even after Guevara handcuffed him to a wall in an interrogation room for several hours and threatened him with physical violence.

Days later, Guevara showed three witnesses to Castro’s killing and carjacking a photo lineup that included McDowell’s picture, even though he did not fit the description of the gunman.

All three identified McDowell as the gunman, records show.

In March 1999, McDowell was convicted of murder and carjacking and sentenced to 103 years in prison.

In June 2020, Gov. JB Pritzker commuted McDowell’s sentence and he was released. In 2024, McDowell’s murder conviction was overturned, records show.

City officials paid more than $58,000 to private attorneys to defend the lawsuit filed by McDowell, records show.

David Gecht and Richard Kwil: A Combined 45 Years, 28.8M 

Chicago taxpayers will pay $28.8 million to two men who spent a combined 45 years in prison after being convicted of a 1999 murder, records show.

Roberto Cruz, 35, was shot to death in the early morning hours of Jan. 29, 1999, after leaving an Avondale bar, records show.

No one was arrested in connection with Cruz’s murder until March 1999, when Guevara said a man arrested in connection with an armed robbery identified Richard Kwil, 19, as the man who shot Cruz. Kwil had been arrested earlier that same day on suspicion of driving a stolen car, records show.

While being interrogated by Guevara, Kwil admitted he was present at Cruz’s murder but said David Gecht, 19, had pulled the trigger, records show. Kwil later recanted that confession, saying Guevara threatened him, records show.

Guevara arrested Gecht, who confessed to the murder after being interrogated, records show. Gecht later testified he admitted to the murder after being deprived of food and sleep and after Guevara struck him several times, records show.

During Gecht’s trial, Guevara denied physically abusing Gecht, records show.

Gecht was convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison, while Kwil was sentenced to 30 years in prison, records show.

Gecht’s conviction was overturned in 2022, the same year he was awarded a certificate of innocence, records show. Kwil’s conviction was overturned in 2023, the same year he was awarded a certificate of innocence, records show.

Taxpayers will pay $15 million to resolve Gecht’s lawsuit, while Kwil will be paid $13.3 million to drop his lawsuit, records show.

A lawsuit filed by another man convicted in Cruz’s death is still pending against the city.

City officials paid more than $1.5 million to private attorneys to defend the lawsuits filed by Gecht and Kwil, records show.

Eruby Abrego: 18 Years, $14.9M

Chicago taxpayers will pay $15 million to a man who spent more than 18 years in prison after being convicted of a 1999 murder, records show.   

Jose Garcia, 46, was shot and killed at 5:45 p.m. on March 22, 1999, while talking with friends in cars parked near an Avondale intersection, records show. Another man was wounded, records show.

Guevara arrested Eruby Abrego, 20, after several people told police he was the gunman who killed Garcia, records show.

Abrego said he was repeatedly struck by police officers, denied food and water and handcuffed to the wall overnight, records show. After officers denied him medical attention, Abrego confessed to killing Garcia and included details that he made up in the hopes of alerting other officials that his confession was false, records show.

Despite that, and Abrego’s obvious injuries after his interrogation, the judge refused to exclude his confession, records show. He was convicted and sentenced to 90 years in prison, records show.

After another man — who had been charged in the murder but was acquitted — confessed to killing Cruz to investigators, Abrego’s conviction was vacated in 2022.

In 2024, a judge granted Abrego a certificate of innocence.

A lawsuit filed by another man convicted in Cruz’s death is still pending against the city.

City officials paid private attorneys $1.2 million to defend Abrego’s lawsuit.

Edwin Ortiz: 17 Years, $14.4M

Chicago taxpayers will pay $14.4 million to a man who spent more than 17 years in prison after being convicted of a 1988 murder, records show.

Jose Morales, 19, was shot and killed at 9:30 p.m. on July 31, 1988, while talking with friends in a Humboldt Park alley, records show. Another man was wounded, records show.

In September 1989, Guevara reported that the man who had been wounded identified Edwin Ortiz, who was 15 at the time of the shooting and did not fit the description witnesses gave police of the assailant. Several months earlier, the injured man identified another man as the gunman who shot him, records show.

Oritz was convicted in 1993 and sentenced to 40 years in prison, records show. He was released on parole in 2010, records show.

In 2022, one of the men who testified that Oritz shot and killed Morales recanted his testimony, and accused Guevara of paying him to identify Ortiz, records show.

Ortiz’s conviction was overturned in 2024. He was granted a certificate of innocence in 2025.

City officials paid private attorneys $227,300 to defend Ortiz’s lawsuit.

Robert Bouto: 19 Years, $14.4M

Chicago taxpayers will pay $14.4 million to a man who spent more than 19 years in prison after being convicted of a 1993 murder, records show.   

Salvador Ruvalcaba, 15, was shot and killed near Roosevelt High School in Albany Park just after 3 p.m. on May 14, 1993, records show.

Robert Bouto, 17, was arrested shortly after the shooting because he fit the description of the gunman and was identified by the slain man’s friends as his killer, records show.

Bouto was convicted based on that testimony and sentenced to 45 years in prison. He was paroled in 2015, records show.

After the men who identified Bouto as the gunman said he only did so because Guevara threatened them, Bouto’s conviction was vacated in 2018, records show. He received a certificate of innocence later that year, records show.

City officials paid private attorneys $2 million to defend Bouto’s lawsuit.

Tyrece Williams: 18 Years, $13.5M

Chicago taxpayers will pay $13.5 million to a man who spent more than 18 years in prison after being convicted of a 1990 murder, records show.    

Peter Cruz, 15, died after being shot, stabbed and bitten by a pit bull in Logan Square just before 2 p.m. on April 20, 1990, records show.

Guevara suspected Tyrece Williams because his brother had been stabbed the night before Cruz was killed, and believed it was a retaliatory attack, records show.

After being identified by witnesses as the gunman, Williams was convicted and sentenced to 35 years in prison. He was paroled in 2009, records show.

One of the witnesses told investigators that Guevara punched him after he said he could not identify Williams, prompting him to change his story, records show.

Williams’s conviction was overturned in March 2025.

City officials paid private attorneys nearly $80,000 to defend Williams’s lawsuit.

David Kruger: 14 Years, $4.9M

Chicago taxpayers will pay $4.9 million to a man who spent more than 14 years in prison after being convicted of a 1987 murder, records show.     

Fernando Delgado, 24, was shot and killed during an altercation in Hermosa with two other men in the early morning hours of May 23, 1987, records show.

In June 1987, Guevara identified David Kruger, 19, as the man who killed Delgado, based on a tip from three sisters, records show. Guevara also located a man who said he saw Kruger kill Delgado, records show.

Kruger was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison. He was paroled in 2001, records show.

One of the witnesses told investigators she identified Kruger as the gunman because Guevara told her to and she was scared of him, records show.

Kruger’s conviction was overturned in 2024, records show.

City officials paid private attorneys nearly $27,000 to defend Williams’s lawsuit.

Note: Loevy and Loevy has done legal work for WTTW News around Freedom of Information Act requests. 

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WTTW News coverage of policing and police reform is supported by The Joyce Foundation. 

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Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]

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