Crime & Law
Pay $17M to Man Who Spent 23 Years in Prison After Being Framed by Disgraced Ex-Detective, City Lawyers Recommend
(WTTW News)
Chicago taxpayers should pay $17 million to a man who spent 23 years in prison after he was framed by a disgraced former Chicago police detective for a 1994 murder, city lawyers recommended.
Roberto Almodovar Jr., was convicted and sentenced to life in prison after being investigated by Reynaldo Guevara, a former Chicago police detective accused of routinely framing suspects.
The proposed $17 million settlement is set to be considered Monday by the City Council’s Finance Committee. A final vote of the City Council could come on Wednesday.
If approved, it would be the eighth lawsuit filed by Chicagoans who said they were the victims of Guevara’s misconduct to be resolved at a cost of more than $95 million to Chicago taxpayers.
Almodovar, then 19, and William Negron, then 17, were convicted of murdering 18-year-old Amy Merkes and 18-year-old Jorge Rodriguez, and wounding Jacqueline Grande, then 20, during a 1994 drive-by shooting in Hermosa. Kennelly Saez, 19, was not injured during the shooting.
No physical evidence linked Almodovar to the double murder. He testified that he was at work and school at the time of the murder.
Grande and Saez testified during the trial that Almodovar fired the fatal shots from a car driven by Negron.
Before the trial, Grande told a lawyer working for Almodovar that Guevara showed her photos of Almodovar and Negron and told her they were responsible for shooting her and her friends. Guevara testified during Almodovar’s trial that he did not tell her who to identify as the gunman and the driver of the car.
During a 1999 hearing, Saez testified that Guevara and Grande showed him photos of Almodovar and Negron and identified them as the gunman and driver.
In 2013, an appellate court ordered a new hearing into the evidence against Almodovar and Negron. During that hearing, which did not take place until 2017, former Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx abruptly recommended the convictions against Almodovar and Negron be vacated.
Almodovar was released, while Negron, who was also convicted of a separate murder that took place in 1994, remained incarcerated until 2018.
Negron’s lawsuit against the city is still pending, records show.
In January, the City Council agreed to pay $17.5 million to Thomas Sierra, who also spent more than 21 years in prison after being convicted based on evidence developed by Guevara.
Another 36 federal lawsuits are pending, records show. A settlement in the lawsuit filed by Jose Maysonet has been reached, according to court records, but not yet presented to the City Council. Maysonet was also convicted based on evidence gathered by Guevara and spent nearly 23 years in prison before he was exonerated.
WTTW News coverage of policing and police reform is supported by The Joyce Foundation.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
