Politics
Pay 4 Men Who Spent a Combined 71 Years in Prison for Murders They Didn’t Commit $29.2M, City Council Panel Agrees
(WTTW News)
Chicago taxpayers could soon pay $29.2 million to four men who spent a combined 71 years in prison after they were framed by a disgraced ex-CPD detective for separate murders between 1991 and 1997.
Without debate, the City Council’s Finance Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend that each of the lawsuits be resolved without a trial. A final vote by the full City Council is set for Feb. 18.
All four men’s convictions were based on evidence gathered by former Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara, who has been accused of routinely framing suspects.
A spokesperson for Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry said the proposed settlements “bring the matters to a responsible close” after extensive negotiations to reach resolutions that are fair, fiscally responsible, and in the best interest of taxpayers.”
Taxpayers paid an additional $5.2 million to private attorneys to defend Guevara and the other officers named in the four lawsuits.
The largest settlement would pay $16.6 million to Demetrius Johnson, who was 15 years old when he was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison in connection with a 1991 murder. Johnson was released from prison in 2004, and awarded a certificate of innocence in 2020.
An additional $6.95 million is set to go to Angel Diaz, who was 21 when he was convicted of a 1995 murder and sentenced to 44 years in prison. Diaz was released from prison in 2010 and awarded a certificate of innocence in 2023.
In addition, taxpayers are set to pay $4.85 million to Ariel Gomez, who was 17 when he was convicted of a 1997 murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Gomez was released on parole in 2017, and his conviction for murder overturned in February 2018.
Finally, $800,000 would go to William Negron, who was 17 when he was convicted of a 1994 murder and sentenced to life in prison. Negron’s conviction was overturned in 2017, and he was released in 2018 after serving his sentence after being convicted of a separate murder in 1994.
Nine lawsuits naming Guevara have already been resolved, records show, at a cost of $112.5 million. If the City Council agrees to settle all four of the lawsuits set for a vote Feb. 18, the cost of resolving 13 lawsuits will hit $141.3 million, records show.
In addition, Chicago taxpayers have paid $47.4 million to attorneys to defend Guevara and the other officers he worked with during his 29-year career, on top of the amount paid to resolve the lawsuits.
Thirty-eight federal lawsuits naming Guevara remain pending.
WTTW News coverage of policing and police reform is supported by The Joyce Foundation.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
