1 00:00:02,320 --> 00:00:06,160 Speaker 1: On November sixteenth, nineteen ninety two, a teenage couple was 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:09,920 Speaker 1: held up on West Washington Street in Chicago, and the 3 00:00:10,039 --> 00:00:13,760 Speaker 1: young man, Shahar and Brandon, was shot dead, but the 4 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 1: young lady said that she had not seen the shooter's face. 5 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 1: Another witness statement raised the name Blue, the nickname of 6 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:25,960 Speaker 1: a local man named Roosevelt Miles. Soon the female victim 7 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:31,080 Speaker 1: also identified Blue, sending Roosevelt away for sixty long years. 8 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:42,200 Speaker 1: But this is wrongful conviction. Wrongful conviction has always given 9 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:44,960 Speaker 1: voice to innocent people in prison, and now we're expanding 10 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:48,920 Speaker 1: that voice to you. Call us at eight three three 11 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 1: two O seven four six sixty six and tell us 12 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 1: how these stories make you feel and what you've done 13 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 1: to help the cause, Even if it's something as simple 14 00:00:56,800 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 1: as telling a friend or sharing on social media. You 15 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 1: might just hear yourself in a future episode. Call us 16 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: A three three two O seven four six sixty six. 17 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,240 Speaker 1: Welcome back to Ronfel Conviction. Today, we've got a Chicago 18 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:24,479 Speaker 1: story involving another gang unit detective out of Area five, 19 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:29,440 Speaker 1: the same notorious unit as Ray Guevera and Ernest Halverson, 20 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:33,480 Speaker 1: which may give our regular listeners an inkling of what 21 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:38,039 Speaker 1: our guests today Endured Roosevelt Miles. Thanks for being here 22 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 1: and joining us today, and along with him, Ashley Cohne 23 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:46,400 Speaker 1: from the Bonine Law Group. We appreciate you being here 24 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 1: as well, of course. So let's get right into it. 25 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 1: Tell us about your childhood. What was it like growing 26 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 1: up in Chicago at that time? 27 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:55,320 Speaker 2: Life is great. 28 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 3: Learned a lot of skills from my father, a lot 29 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 3: of cooking skills from my mom. Kid, you know, went 30 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:04,960 Speaker 3: to school, boy scout, junior police officer, just did everything 31 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 3: that the kid does, graduated, went to college. 32 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:10,960 Speaker 1: But his trajectory in life was interrupted by a mix 33 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 1: of cannabis possession charges, which most people agreed should never 34 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:17,639 Speaker 1: have been a thing, and then the first of two 35 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:20,800 Speaker 1: wrongful convictions when he was about twenty three years old 36 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:24,359 Speaker 1: and charged for the actions of a juvenile family friend. 37 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:26,800 Speaker 3: I was with a young man and a young lady. 38 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 3: I've been knowing a young man. His family's like family 39 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 3: to meet. They was like sixteen seventeen, so he couldn't drive, 40 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:35,600 Speaker 3: So his mom gave me the car to take him 41 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 3: to the store. And they went to the mall and 42 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 3: we was all in there. I was doing something else 43 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:43,120 Speaker 3: and so I went looking for him, and J. C. 44 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:45,240 Speaker 3: Penny now said, I know I got bumba rushed by 45 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 3: the police. So apparently they had picked him and her 46 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:50,960 Speaker 3: up from using a froggling credit card and they charged 47 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 3: me with So. 48 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:55,639 Speaker 1: They stuck Roosevelt with his forgery charge rather than bothering 49 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 1: with the two juveniles. 50 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:00,840 Speaker 3: But Daryl was on probation for maljuana offenses. Lawyer say, well, 51 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:02,640 Speaker 3: you got this other case, so you need to cop 52 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:05,800 Speaker 3: out now copped out, which I sunis should never because 53 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:06,760 Speaker 3: that wasn't my case. 54 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:08,919 Speaker 2: I did eighteen months. 55 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 1: These are the wrongful convictions that we rarely ever even 56 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:16,000 Speaker 1: hear about, but they're probably the most prevalent where people 57 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: just plead guilty and take a short sentence as a 58 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 1: matter of being practical, they're avoiding the risk of losing 59 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 1: a trial and multiplying the length of their sentence. So 60 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:31,840 Speaker 1: after eighteen months, Roosevelt parolled out and they began working 61 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:35,880 Speaker 1: for the Chicago Parks District, but his record kept them 62 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:39,360 Speaker 1: on the radar of police in November of nineteen ninety two. 63 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:43,320 Speaker 4: So on November sixteenth, nineteen ninety two, a sixteen year 64 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:46,440 Speaker 4: old by the name of Shaharan Brandon, who goes by 65 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:50,600 Speaker 4: the nickname Tony, was with his girlfriend, Octavius Morris, who 66 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 4: is nicknamed Tweety. She was fifteen years old at the time, 67 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:57,640 Speaker 4: and the two of them were at her mother's house 68 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:01,160 Speaker 4: on the forty eight hundred block of West Washington Boulevard 69 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,280 Speaker 4: in Chicago, Illinois, and they decided at two thirty in 70 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 4: the morning that they wanted to go get something to eat. 71 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 4: Once outside, according to Morris, a gunman came up, said 72 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:17,280 Speaker 4: this is a stick up and fired several shots at Tony. 73 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 4: She actually ran and she came back to the scene. 74 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:26,279 Speaker 4: Then police came and speak to any witnesses. So Octavia 75 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:29,279 Speaker 4: says that there were two shooters. One a teenage boy 76 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:32,520 Speaker 4: wearing all black clothing, that he was six feet tall, 77 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:35,599 Speaker 4: and she also says that she didn't see his face. 78 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 4: And she said that she had seen another individual underneath 79 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,159 Speaker 4: the porch and she also described him as a teenager. 80 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:47,320 Speaker 3: Was a dogs young man feet eight feet nine teenager. 81 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:50,120 Speaker 4: Then there was another witness, she was a sex worker 82 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:54,520 Speaker 4: and she was down the block, and she says that 83 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:59,080 Speaker 4: she only saw one shooter, but both had described the 84 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:06,839 Speaker 4: shooter as teenager six feet tall. So those facts remained consistent. 85 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 3: So the description these individuals never fit me at all, 86 00:05:10,839 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 3: age and nothing. She's say fifteen to sixteen young men. 87 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:16,240 Speaker 3: I was twenty eight, so it could. 88 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:16,680 Speaker 2: Never matchin me. 89 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:20,359 Speaker 1: And that was more solidly confirmed shortly after the shooting. 90 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:23,960 Speaker 4: The original reports say that there were many individuals in 91 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:26,479 Speaker 4: the area on the sea. So Roosevelt he lived in 92 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 4: the neighborhood. So he is picked up by two officers 93 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:33,120 Speaker 4: and taken over to the scene. 94 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 3: Well, they didn't force me, Walt, They just walked with 95 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:39,240 Speaker 3: me over to the police car that was parked at 96 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 3: the crime scene. And so when we got over there, 97 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 3: they stum me back, come and the witness in the 98 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:46,400 Speaker 3: car say it wasn't me. 99 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 4: Octavius and Sandra Birch, who is the sex worker down 100 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 4: the street. They both knew him from the neighborhood and 101 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:55,560 Speaker 4: they both knew him as Blue, and they both tell 102 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:57,240 Speaker 4: the police, no, that wasn't him. 103 00:05:57,360 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 5: I know, we know who that is. 104 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:01,840 Speaker 4: That's Blue, that he was not the shooter, okay, and 105 00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:03,000 Speaker 4: the cops let him go. 106 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:06,120 Speaker 1: The two witnesses agreed that it wasn't Roosevelt, who they 107 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:09,760 Speaker 1: knew as Blue, but they did agree on the description 108 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:12,200 Speaker 1: of at least one of the shooters, a six foot 109 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:16,360 Speaker 1: tall teenager wearing dark clothing. But the investigation goes off 110 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:19,680 Speaker 1: the rails as Sandra Birch, with the trappings of her 111 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:23,799 Speaker 1: line of work, was vulnerable to coercion, and then Octavius 112 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:27,479 Speaker 1: also had a vulnerability. After all, Remember it's a little 113 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:30,839 Speaker 1: odd that despite her vantage point, she claimed that she 114 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:32,280 Speaker 1: had not seen the shooter's face. 115 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:35,240 Speaker 5: They assumed that Sweety knew more than she let on. 116 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:37,800 Speaker 4: It was actually the victim's family who brought it to 117 00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:39,880 Speaker 4: the attention of the cops, and they thought that she 118 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:43,320 Speaker 4: may have known who the shooter was a former boyfriend. 119 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:47,520 Speaker 4: So there were some cops that were looking into that lead. 120 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:51,880 Speaker 4: But at some point we see a very well known 121 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:58,640 Speaker 4: disgraced officer, Anthony Wochik and his lackeys Rutherford and McDonald. 122 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:03,159 Speaker 4: Once Wochick gets involved, there was some transformation in the 123 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:07,320 Speaker 4: reports that instead of Sandra Birch saying I saw blue 124 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:10,040 Speaker 4: at the scene and told the officers it wasn't him, 125 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:14,840 Speaker 4: it turned into I saw Blue standing over the body 126 00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:15,800 Speaker 4: at the time. 127 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:16,160 Speaker 5: Of the murder. 128 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:21,600 Speaker 1: Simultaneously, it appears Wochik turned up the pressure on Octavius. 129 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:24,840 Speaker 4: They went to her house multiple times and kept saying, 130 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 4: we know it was blue, just say it was blue. 131 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:30,520 Speaker 4: And eventually she capitulated and she said it was blue. 132 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 4: I mean, she's fifteen years old. She's scared the cops 133 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:35,520 Speaker 4: keep coming to her house. She does not have a 134 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:38,000 Speaker 4: clean background. She was part of a gang herself. She 135 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:42,520 Speaker 4: had a history of some criminal misconduct, and so they 136 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:45,960 Speaker 4: use that to basically persuade her and Sandra Burt to 137 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 4: testify before the grand jury so that they have them 138 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:52,400 Speaker 4: under oath and then if they change their story, they 139 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:53,840 Speaker 4: can threaten them with perjury. 140 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:56,280 Speaker 1: And with both of their statements, they arrest the same 141 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:59,560 Speaker 1: man who both witnesses had cleared at the crime scene. 142 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 2: Troll me a police say. 143 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:02,760 Speaker 3: You took me upstairs on the second floor into a 144 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:06,320 Speaker 3: interrogation room and they immediately handcuffed me to the bench. 145 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:10,160 Speaker 3: I was beaten by Detective Anthony Woji with a telephone 146 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:13,080 Speaker 3: book and a maglight to say I'd done something that 147 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:13,480 Speaker 3: I didn't do. 148 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:15,960 Speaker 2: I was choked and this process. 149 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 3: Went on without being able to use to wash room 150 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:22,360 Speaker 3: or eat for two days. And at one point I 151 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:24,600 Speaker 3: told me, I started crying, you can kill me because 152 00:08:24,640 --> 00:08:27,480 Speaker 3: I'm not gonna say nothing that I didn't do. I 153 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 3: didn't allow them to be the confession out of me. 154 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:43,959 Speaker 1: You're listening to Wrongful Conviction. You can listen to this 155 00:08:44,040 --> 00:08:46,720 Speaker 1: and all the Lava for Good podcasts one week early 156 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:50,160 Speaker 1: and ad free by subscribing to Lava for Good Plus 157 00:08:50,440 --> 00:09:00,920 Speaker 1: on Apple Podcasts. I don't believe we've ever heard of 158 00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:05,840 Speaker 1: someone walking out of the Chicago interrogation room, which is 159 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:08,880 Speaker 1: really a torture room, let's call it what it is, 160 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:15,400 Speaker 1: having held on to their truth. It's remarkable, really, But nevertheless, 161 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:19,880 Speaker 1: they still had two witness statements, never mind how far 162 00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 1: their testimony departed from their original statements. But yet it 163 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: still took all the way until January of nineteen ninety 164 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:31,440 Speaker 1: six to take Roosevelt to trial. 165 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:34,960 Speaker 4: There's reasons for why it was taking that long. So 166 00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:37,800 Speaker 4: one thing that happened is we know Sandra Birch she 167 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:42,480 Speaker 4: had died. Another thing that happened. Roosevelt's public defenders go 168 00:09:42,679 --> 00:09:47,600 Speaker 4: to see Tweety and she provides a handwritten and a 169 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:52,560 Speaker 4: typewritten statement to their investigators, basically saying, the police kept 170 00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:54,480 Speaker 4: coming to my house and telling me to say that 171 00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:56,720 Speaker 4: Blue is the one who did it and the only 172 00:09:56,760 --> 00:09:59,080 Speaker 4: reason I said that it was blue is because they 173 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:01,760 Speaker 4: were forcing me to do and I don't know who 174 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:05,000 Speaker 4: the shooter was, but it was not blue. So they're 175 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:08,600 Speaker 4: scrambling to figure out their case, which is why continuance 176 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:11,600 Speaker 4: after continuance. They're figuring out what they can do. And 177 00:10:11,679 --> 00:10:16,600 Speaker 4: what we see in the file is the victim's family 178 00:10:16,679 --> 00:10:20,680 Speaker 4: member comes into the police station and says, my wife 179 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:23,160 Speaker 4: was out and was talking to a woman by the 180 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:26,239 Speaker 4: name of Deborah Lenore who said she was with Roosevelt 181 00:10:26,280 --> 00:10:28,880 Speaker 4: on the night of the shooting with her brother at 182 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:33,240 Speaker 4: the dragons Den. So Roosevelt he actually was like a 183 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:36,440 Speaker 4: block and a half away when the shooting happened. 184 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:37,800 Speaker 5: He heard the shots. 185 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:39,720 Speaker 4: He was coming out of a friend of his house, 186 00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:44,120 Speaker 4: and he saw a buddy of his, Michael Hooker, and 187 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:47,960 Speaker 4: then he went to the dragons Den later that night. 188 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:51,959 Speaker 3: Yes, a motorcycle MC. They have pool tournaments. I shoot 189 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:54,680 Speaker 3: pool and on Sunday nicest pool tournament time. 190 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:58,440 Speaker 1: According to statements from Debra Lenore and her brother Oliver 191 00:10:58,559 --> 00:11:01,400 Speaker 1: in nineteen ninety three, they did see Roosevelt that night 192 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:04,040 Speaker 1: when he was at the motorcycle club hours after the. 193 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:07,640 Speaker 4: Shooting, but then in nineteen ninety five, two years later, 194 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:11,520 Speaker 4: all of a sudden, there's this whole circumstantial story where 195 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:15,160 Speaker 4: he ran up to Deborah and Oliver after the shots, 196 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:17,760 Speaker 4: and it kind of just seemed a little sketchy that 197 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:20,080 Speaker 4: he was running out from where the shootings came from, 198 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:22,480 Speaker 4: and that ultimately ends up being the story that goes 199 00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:26,199 Speaker 4: to trial. And I mean, even according to Tweety, from 200 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:29,679 Speaker 4: what we know now, Debora Lenor, who's also now deceased, 201 00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:33,600 Speaker 4: she had a drug problem, was apparently being provided some 202 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:37,640 Speaker 4: drugs by the cops, at least that's what Tweety had 203 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:41,880 Speaker 4: mentioned to us. And so they take these individuals who 204 00:11:41,880 --> 00:11:46,360 Speaker 4: are susceptible to coercion and they mold these stories into 205 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 4: something that they want to tell to a jury that 206 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:52,719 Speaker 4: they think is sufficient to convict an innocent person like Roosevelt. 207 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:56,079 Speaker 1: After more than three long years in Cook County jail, 208 00:11:56,440 --> 00:11:59,240 Speaker 1: the trial finally began in January nineteen ninety six, and 209 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:03,679 Speaker 1: by this time, the state's attorneys Milkititchen Lynch, along with 210 00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:06,760 Speaker 1: the locked grand jury testimony and a threat of perjury, 211 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:10,400 Speaker 1: had Octavius back on her coerce story again. 212 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:13,120 Speaker 4: She flips back, and she says the reason she says 213 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:15,160 Speaker 4: it wasn't Blue is because she was scared that he 214 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:17,199 Speaker 4: was going to do something to her. So that's her 215 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:20,760 Speaker 4: reason for initially not saying that it was him, then 216 00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:23,840 Speaker 4: saying that it was him, then saying that it wasn't him, 217 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:27,840 Speaker 4: and now testifying that it was him. So she testifies, 218 00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:31,920 Speaker 4: and the jury hears that she provided a statement to 219 00:12:31,960 --> 00:12:36,400 Speaker 4: the investigators, and it's messy. There are two cops that testify. 220 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:40,400 Speaker 4: One basically says, no, we only went to Octavius Morris's 221 00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:43,559 Speaker 4: house once, we didn't go there five to six times. 222 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:50,160 Speaker 4: And then one officer testifies that after they interviewed a witness, 223 00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:52,760 Speaker 4: they went looking for Blue. 224 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:55,800 Speaker 1: So the two officers testimony served to both clear up 225 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:59,959 Speaker 1: the messiness around Octavius Morris's recantation and gave the appearance 226 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:03,480 Speaker 1: that the suspicion of Roosevelt had come from an independent source. 227 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:07,559 Speaker 4: So the judge didn't let in that there was this witness, 228 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:10,920 Speaker 4: Sandra Birch. But there's an exception where it's like the 229 00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:14,240 Speaker 4: course of the investigation, so you know, it makes it 230 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:17,000 Speaker 4: seem like there was a witness who identified Blue and 231 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:19,240 Speaker 4: that's what made them go look for him and. 232 00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:22,360 Speaker 1: Without her there or even naming her, there was no 233 00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:25,439 Speaker 1: way to impeach that evidence, perhaps raising how she hadn't 234 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:28,280 Speaker 1: identified Roosevelt at the show up and what made her 235 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:30,480 Speaker 1: change her version of events. And then there was a 236 00:13:30,559 --> 00:13:35,160 Speaker 1: garbled and nonsensical, circumstantial evidence from Debra Lenore and her 237 00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:35,800 Speaker 1: brother Oliver. 238 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:38,959 Speaker 4: Oliver had passed away actually at that point as well. 239 00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 4: So Deborah just testifies that basically this story of her 240 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:47,480 Speaker 4: walking down the street and Roosevelt just comes running up 241 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:50,679 Speaker 4: behind her and it's around the time of the shooting, 242 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:55,120 Speaker 4: and that's it. It's so far fetched, but these pieces 243 00:13:55,160 --> 00:13:59,560 Speaker 4: being put together, apparently back in ninety six was sufficient 244 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:00,959 Speaker 4: for to convict him. 245 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:04,520 Speaker 3: Thinking I was gonna get a fair trial, thinking the 246 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:07,840 Speaker 3: lawyer that I had, mister even would represent me to 247 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:12,000 Speaker 3: the fullest. And when I sit down and heard the testimony, 248 00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:15,400 Speaker 3: he barely object to a lot of what was brought out, 249 00:14:15,679 --> 00:14:18,680 Speaker 3: especially things dealing with the dead prostitute that shouldn't have 250 00:14:18,679 --> 00:14:19,560 Speaker 3: never been brought out. 251 00:14:19,640 --> 00:14:21,560 Speaker 2: But they allowed Jewurry to hear this. 252 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:25,400 Speaker 3: Halfway through, I'd say, I I know I'm going to prison. 253 00:14:25,680 --> 00:14:28,680 Speaker 3: If the jury would have knew how they all played 254 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:31,440 Speaker 3: out the scenario his whole case, I would have never 255 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:32,160 Speaker 3: been found. 256 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:35,360 Speaker 2: Guilty, but I didn't have a representation to do that. 257 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:39,520 Speaker 4: One thing about Roosevelt's public defender, he did try to 258 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:42,040 Speaker 4: get in a lot of things that the judge just 259 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:45,080 Speaker 4: would not allow him to get into. There were early 260 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:49,240 Speaker 4: on statements about the potential third party offender who was 261 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:54,440 Speaker 4: Octavius's former boyfriend, but he didn't do the work of 262 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 4: really trying to explore that as much as she should have. 263 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:02,000 Speaker 4: And because he couldn't give the judge enough of a 264 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:05,240 Speaker 4: proffer related to that, he borrowed it from coming in. 265 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:08,720 Speaker 1: In addition, Roosevelt's attorney could have called his alibi witness, 266 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:13,760 Speaker 1: Michael Hooker. So that left Octavius Morris's fabricated identification and 267 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:18,520 Speaker 1: the circumstantial support, and somehow that was enough to send 268 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:20,440 Speaker 1: Roosevelt away for sixty years. 269 00:15:20,680 --> 00:15:23,560 Speaker 3: So when they found me guilty, I just stood then shop, 270 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:24,920 Speaker 3: you know, I just stood. 271 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:25,600 Speaker 2: Dn't shop. 272 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:29,240 Speaker 3: The day I got sentenced, I asked Judge porter, can't 273 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:30,080 Speaker 3: see my parents? 274 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:30,840 Speaker 2: He denied me. 275 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:33,000 Speaker 3: Tell me they could pass me through. Why would you 276 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:35,880 Speaker 3: say that these are elderly people. He's my mom and dad. 277 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:43,520 Speaker 3: So that was the last time I saw my mom, 278 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:46,480 Speaker 3: and she passed away. Well, I was in prison, and 279 00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:48,560 Speaker 3: she didn't ever come to see me because I didn't 280 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:49,400 Speaker 3: want to come see me. 281 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:52,360 Speaker 2: And that was the last time I saw it was 282 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:53,000 Speaker 2: a trial. 283 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:12,760 Speaker 3: Being shipped to Stateville was a whole different avenue. You 284 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:15,400 Speaker 3: ever been in a place and you just numb. I 285 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:19,560 Speaker 3: felt numb. And I got into sale with a guy 286 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:21,920 Speaker 3: I knowed. He was a little guy from the neighborhood. 287 00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:25,040 Speaker 3: I come to find out his auntie's was my neighbors. 288 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:26,920 Speaker 3: I didn't even know that until we got to talking. 289 00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:30,960 Speaker 3: But I felt somewhere okay, But you never okay. My 290 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:34,560 Speaker 3: life is never the same, you know, And s one night, 291 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:37,920 Speaker 3: I'm I'm in the sale, my CELLI at work by 292 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:40,480 Speaker 3: two and the more instorment and my next little neighbor 293 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:41,240 Speaker 3: killed his selling. 294 00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:42,920 Speaker 2: That's trauma. 295 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:46,720 Speaker 3: Man being a m a grown man hollering, screaming, that's trauma. 296 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:50,520 Speaker 3: And I'm in here for somebody, and do I can 297 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:53,720 Speaker 3: honestly say that most of the staff was very supportive 298 00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:56,680 Speaker 3: of my innocent because if you didn't see me at work, 299 00:16:56,720 --> 00:16:58,240 Speaker 3: I was in the law light Berry. If I wasn't 300 00:16:58,240 --> 00:16:59,720 Speaker 3: in a law light Beary, I was on a visit. 301 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:02,240 Speaker 3: I barely went to the yard, and that's how I 302 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:05,600 Speaker 3: gave him a bit. You know, my days was spent researching, 303 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:09,040 Speaker 3: and as she would tell you, I did so much work. 304 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:12,320 Speaker 3: I ran through three typewriters, you know, because I knew 305 00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:15,520 Speaker 3: I was innocent. You know, Anderson fight for life, the 306 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:19,400 Speaker 3: guilty fight for a short period. I'm still fighting. 307 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:23,439 Speaker 1: After the boiler plate denials on direct appeal, Roosevelt did 308 00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:26,880 Speaker 1: his post conviction fileingx pro sey, meaning on his own 309 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:30,800 Speaker 1: without an attorney, and that began with an affidavit from 310 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:33,680 Speaker 1: Michael Hooker, who had not only been with him, but 311 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:36,560 Speaker 1: had also seen him come out of his house after 312 00:17:36,640 --> 00:17:37,919 Speaker 1: the shooting had already occurred. 313 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:42,800 Speaker 4: Michael Hooker was an alibi witness that Roosevelt had told 314 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:45,919 Speaker 4: it public defender about at the time, and he didn't 315 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:46,960 Speaker 4: call him at trial. 316 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:49,639 Speaker 5: He didn't get his affidavit and he didn't get his testimony. 317 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:53,560 Speaker 3: Yeah, the infant Custy accouncil fulfilure called my alibi witness. 318 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:56,399 Speaker 3: It was denied, and I peeled it and the season 319 00:17:56,560 --> 00:18:00,879 Speaker 3: came back December two thousand and once I ready, I 320 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:01,840 Speaker 3: say I'm going home. 321 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:06,640 Speaker 4: Ultimately, Roosevelt was granted a hearing and evidentiary hearing after 322 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:10,639 Speaker 4: he did provide a affidavit from Michael Hooker basically saying 323 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:12,560 Speaker 4: that he was with him on the night when they 324 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:14,320 Speaker 4: heard the shots were fired. 325 00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:17,200 Speaker 2: But I waited eighteen years is hearing. 326 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:21,560 Speaker 4: The judge just basically allows it to languish, So he 327 00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:25,840 Speaker 4: is tossed around from public defender to public defender. He 328 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:28,480 Speaker 4: has one public defender who is actually doing really good 329 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:31,800 Speaker 4: work for him, but unfortunately he also died. The amount 330 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:34,240 Speaker 4: of people who have died in Roosevelt's case is actually insane. 331 00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:37,080 Speaker 4: But another one takes over and just sits, and it 332 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:41,639 Speaker 4: sits and sits, and finally, in twenty seventeen, Roosevelt finds 333 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:44,560 Speaker 4: us the Bonjin Law Group. I remember it like it 334 00:18:44,680 --> 00:18:48,000 Speaker 4: was yesterday. I was new from out of law school. 335 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:51,520 Speaker 4: I get this massive file from the public Defender's office 336 00:18:52,359 --> 00:18:57,119 Speaker 4: that was fifteen thousand pages. And part of our responsibility 337 00:18:57,160 --> 00:19:01,560 Speaker 4: as post conviction attorneys is we have to find new evidence, right, 338 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:05,720 Speaker 4: so we make efforts to go to Octavius's house multiple times. 339 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:08,000 Speaker 4: It seems like we weren't the only ones. The state 340 00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:11,640 Speaker 4: was also trying to talk to her. At that time, 341 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:14,040 Speaker 4: there was a new conviction integrity unit at the Cook 342 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:17,000 Speaker 4: County States Attorney's Office, and we wrote to them, said, 343 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:18,200 Speaker 4: this case is so weak. 344 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:19,240 Speaker 5: There's no evidence. 345 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:24,200 Speaker 4: There's just this one recanted eyewitness identification that is not 346 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:27,880 Speaker 4: even legitimate because she says she didn't see the shooter's 347 00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:29,960 Speaker 4: face in the beginning, and why are you sticking to this. 348 00:19:30,480 --> 00:19:32,160 Speaker 4: So we thought we would maybe get played there. 349 00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:33,040 Speaker 2: We didn't, and. 350 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:37,639 Speaker 4: We kept striking out with Octavius, and then all of 351 00:19:37,680 --> 00:19:40,640 Speaker 4: a sudden, one day she decided to call our office 352 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:43,120 Speaker 4: and she said, I told. 353 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:45,359 Speaker 5: The police I knew who Blue was, and I knew 354 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:46,240 Speaker 5: it was not Blue. 355 00:19:46,359 --> 00:19:49,200 Speaker 4: And she says, I remember the guy the officer's name, 356 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:51,720 Speaker 4: because it was my brother's name, and my brother's name 357 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:54,720 Speaker 4: was Tony, and Tony kept coming to my house and saying, 358 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:56,440 Speaker 4: this is the person who did it. And if you 359 00:19:56,520 --> 00:19:59,359 Speaker 4: don't testify, then we're going to say that you were 360 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:01,200 Speaker 4: involved in the sho shooting and you knew who did it, 361 00:20:01,359 --> 00:20:02,800 Speaker 4: or you had some responsibility. 362 00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:05,560 Speaker 5: So you have to testify and say that it was 363 00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:09,159 Speaker 5: Roosevelt's end of story. Done deal. So ultimately she. 364 00:20:09,359 --> 00:20:14,240 Speaker 1: Does, and of course Tony was Detective Anthony Wochick. Octavius 365 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:17,440 Speaker 1: Morris later swore an Affidavid to exactly what she had 366 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:21,240 Speaker 1: said over the phone, exactly has she had said it 367 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:25,280 Speaker 1: when she recanted all those years ago to Roosevelt's trial attorney, 368 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:29,960 Speaker 1: And so Ashley amended Roosevelt's two thousand filing with this 369 00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:30,800 Speaker 1: AFFI David. 370 00:20:31,240 --> 00:20:33,960 Speaker 4: And one of the biggest things in our post conviction 371 00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:36,879 Speaker 4: petition that we had filed. A lot of the new 372 00:20:36,920 --> 00:20:40,440 Speaker 4: evidence was related to Anthony Wochik's pattern and practice of 373 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:44,040 Speaker 4: misconduct that has come to light over the years. Anthony 374 00:20:44,119 --> 00:20:48,119 Speaker 4: Wochk rose the ranks through his thirty years at the 375 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:52,280 Speaker 4: Chicago Police Department with little to no supervision or discipline. 376 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:57,960 Speaker 4: There were scores of allegations and findings of misconduct against Wocheck. 377 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:01,840 Speaker 3: So I did afore you request and somebody gave me 378 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:05,720 Speaker 3: at the new Woji Police complain history, which they don't do, 379 00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:09,120 Speaker 3: and I found out that he had forty three complaints 380 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:09,719 Speaker 3: against him. 381 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:15,320 Speaker 4: Early on in Wocheck's career, he was criminally prosecuted for 382 00:21:15,480 --> 00:21:19,879 Speaker 4: beating up a man who was found in bed with 383 00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:24,280 Speaker 4: some female lover of his and the case was dismissed. 384 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:26,720 Speaker 4: That was the beginning of his career, and he still 385 00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:31,480 Speaker 4: rose the ranks. He went police officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, 386 00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:35,120 Speaker 4: like they did nothing about this problem officer all these 387 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:39,280 Speaker 4: years and the exoneration project in Chicago, you know, Carl 388 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:42,520 Speaker 4: Leonard and David Owens, they did a lot of legwork 389 00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:46,840 Speaker 4: getting will Check pattern and practice witnesses. And during one 390 00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:50,880 Speaker 4: of our post conviction hearings for two other individuals Canaan 391 00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:54,920 Speaker 4: Abrago to here, victims of Detective will Check, we put 392 00:21:55,000 --> 00:22:00,520 Speaker 4: on I want to say, fourteen different witnesses, former police officers, 393 00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:07,440 Speaker 4: to public defenders, to inmates, who provided compelling evidence of 394 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:12,359 Speaker 4: misconduct throughout his career and he was untouchable. And he 395 00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:19,080 Speaker 4: used that to corese confessions, manipulate witnesses, to frame innocent people, 396 00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:23,119 Speaker 4: and he got away with it. Detective Willcheck eventually retired 397 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:27,040 Speaker 4: in May twenty sixteen after the Office of the Inspector 398 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:31,120 Speaker 4: General found that he had committed a litany of violations, 399 00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:35,080 Speaker 4: including making false reports, during the investigation of the events 400 00:22:35,119 --> 00:22:36,960 Speaker 4: that led up to Laqwan McDonald's shooting. 401 00:22:37,280 --> 00:22:40,320 Speaker 1: In case you don't remember, Lakwan MacDonald was a seventeen 402 00:22:40,400 --> 00:22:42,560 Speaker 1: year old kid who was alleged to have been walking 403 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:45,119 Speaker 1: down the street in Chicago welding a knife and was 404 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:49,880 Speaker 1: shot by officer Jason van Dyck after he allegedly refused 405 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:53,360 Speaker 1: to drop the weapon, and the police reports from multiple 406 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:56,399 Speaker 1: officers were pretty much identical as to what had happened. 407 00:22:56,800 --> 00:23:00,440 Speaker 3: So Wojet was the supervisor lieutenant in his case, but 408 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:03,080 Speaker 3: he got a call from up higher and the call 409 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:05,480 Speaker 3: was told him, I get that, didn't write Tony. 410 00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:07,800 Speaker 2: Can't you make this case go away? How you make 411 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:11,760 Speaker 2: the case go away? You lieutenant? You investigate cases. 412 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:17,280 Speaker 4: After Lakwan MacDonald was shot, Anthony Wiochik basically helped officers 413 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:19,080 Speaker 4: make a bunch of reports. 414 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:21,600 Speaker 2: And he wrote that this was just a Bible homicide. 415 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:26,679 Speaker 1: But then video emerged showing that Lakwan had been murdered, 416 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:31,000 Speaker 1: Let's call it what it is, shot sixteen times, despite 417 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:34,600 Speaker 1: having complied with Officer Van Dyke's order, and he was 418 00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:37,560 Speaker 1: not a threat. In fact, when he was killed, he 419 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:38,560 Speaker 1: was walking away. 420 00:23:38,920 --> 00:23:41,399 Speaker 2: And everybody say that it just one apple and the 421 00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:43,760 Speaker 2: barrel is just right. No, the barrol is writing. 422 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:47,920 Speaker 1: And so with Octavius Morris's affie David, supported by Wolchik's 423 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:51,160 Speaker 1: pattern and practice evidence, Ashley, along with Jennifer bon Jean, 424 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:53,720 Speaker 1: finally was able to get him back into court in 425 00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:54,960 Speaker 1: twenty eighteen. 426 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:56,480 Speaker 2: And they gave me the hearing. 427 00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:59,879 Speaker 3: Remember I say eighteen years, right, It took the Jewish 428 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,840 Speaker 3: less than five minutes. Did deny my post deviction. 429 00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:07,920 Speaker 1: Roosevelt's trial judge from nineteen ninety six, Judge Porter, after 430 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:11,320 Speaker 1: waiting eighteen years to follow through on the hearing he 431 00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:15,080 Speaker 1: granted back in two thousand, dismissed the ineffective assistance of 432 00:24:15,119 --> 00:24:22,359 Speaker 1: council claim as untimely. Yeah. So while I try to 433 00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:27,639 Speaker 1: compose myself and get my shit together off, Mike Roosevelt 434 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:32,520 Speaker 1: can tell us about how, instead of the justice he deserved, 435 00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:35,960 Speaker 1: he was paroled out after twenty eight years of his 436 00:24:36,119 --> 00:24:37,080 Speaker 1: sixty year sentence. 437 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:40,120 Speaker 3: So I got paroled two years short of thirty years 438 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:44,560 Speaker 3: because of good conduct credit. I received my Pearl Loue 439 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:47,760 Speaker 3: certificated state buil they county that worked twenty one years 440 00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:49,000 Speaker 3: in correctional industry. 441 00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:50,800 Speaker 2: So I got good time for that. So I was 442 00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:51,920 Speaker 2: released two years earl. 443 00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:54,000 Speaker 3: But the same time that I was a release in 444 00:24:54,119 --> 00:24:57,040 Speaker 3: the Tedi court decision that came down stating did I 445 00:24:57,160 --> 00:24:58,440 Speaker 3: get an evidentiary hearing? 446 00:24:58,560 --> 00:25:01,080 Speaker 4: Once we got back, we get back to judge Porter 447 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 4: recuses himself. We go to a second judge, Judge Rain's 448 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:07,840 Speaker 4: Judge Rains. There's a whole other story there that involves 449 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:10,880 Speaker 4: Jenny and Judge Rains being caught. 450 00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:11,400 Speaker 5: On a hot mic. 451 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:14,520 Speaker 1: Judge Rains was on a zoom call that he thought 452 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:17,960 Speaker 1: had ended, and he said something about Jennifer Bonjing to 453 00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:21,000 Speaker 1: the effect of, man, can you imagine waking up to 454 00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:24,720 Speaker 1: her every morning? Now? I find miss Bonding to be 455 00:25:25,119 --> 00:25:29,639 Speaker 1: a particularly wonderful individual, So I'm not sure what this 456 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:33,879 Speaker 1: guy's problem was, But either way, those zoom calls were 457 00:25:33,920 --> 00:25:37,439 Speaker 1: recorded and they got leaked, it went viral. 458 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:40,080 Speaker 4: He ends up not only recusing himself but having to 459 00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:43,119 Speaker 4: go to judge jail. So then finally we find ourselves 460 00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:47,880 Speaker 4: in front of Judge Howard, and she presided over Cain 461 00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:50,560 Speaker 4: and Abrigo's evidentiary hearing. So she had been a little 462 00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:53,520 Speaker 4: familiar with Anthony Wochik and all the pattern in practice. 463 00:25:53,760 --> 00:25:58,280 Speaker 4: And we get ready to go to our hearing December fifth, 464 00:25:58,359 --> 00:26:00,920 Speaker 4: twenty twenty two. He was locked up December seventh, in 465 00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:04,439 Speaker 4: nineteen ninety two, it was almost to the day Octavius 466 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:07,320 Speaker 4: Morris shows up. We're all ready to go, and the 467 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:12,320 Speaker 4: state's attorney, Todd Dombrowski, says that they're going to agree 468 00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:16,400 Speaker 4: to post conviction relief and dismiss the charges and vacated 469 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:17,119 Speaker 4: his conviction. 470 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:22,200 Speaker 3: So I came home in twenty twenty and twenty twenty two, 471 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:25,240 Speaker 3: I was desgonerated. Twenty twenty four, I got a certificate 472 00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:25,720 Speaker 3: and isdent. 473 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:28,640 Speaker 4: You have to affirmatively prove that you're actually innocent, which 474 00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:32,640 Speaker 4: I by statue in Illinois, if you are actually innocent, 475 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:35,919 Speaker 4: you could be entitled to compensation. I think it maxes 476 00:26:35,960 --> 00:26:38,879 Speaker 4: out around two hundred and fifty five thousand, two hundred 477 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:42,640 Speaker 4: and seventy five thousand dollars. And we're like, great, they're 478 00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:44,439 Speaker 4: not going to intervene in this. The State's not going 479 00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:46,959 Speaker 4: to take a position because they vacated his charges. 480 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:49,040 Speaker 5: But lo and behold they did. 481 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:53,720 Speaker 1: This decision really struck me as strange. The current office 482 00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:56,920 Speaker 1: has done really great work and has been very transparent 483 00:26:57,000 --> 00:26:59,840 Speaker 1: in acknowledging the city's dark past and those responsible for 484 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:04,000 Speaker 1: many of whom have been repeatedly profiled here John Birge 485 00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:07,960 Speaker 1: and the Midnight Crew detectives Guevara and Halverson. But despite 486 00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:12,120 Speaker 1: the condemning evidence against Anthony Wochick. They'd go so far 487 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:15,720 Speaker 1: as to try to leave Roosevelt in limbo. Charge is dismissed, 488 00:27:15,880 --> 00:27:20,320 Speaker 1: but not willing to admit to and endorse his innocence 489 00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:22,040 Speaker 1: as they clearly should. 490 00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:26,280 Speaker 4: Wichuk is a very big problem for the city of Chicago. 491 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:30,119 Speaker 4: But for some reason, and I'm noticing a lot like 492 00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:33,760 Speaker 4: the Cook County State's Attorney's office. While they're willing to 493 00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:36,520 Speaker 4: admit that Guevara was a bad officer, they are not 494 00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:39,400 Speaker 4: willing to admit that Wochik was a bad officer. They 495 00:27:39,440 --> 00:27:42,800 Speaker 4: will do whatever to protect that man. And when that happens, 496 00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:44,639 Speaker 4: it seems to me that there has to be some 497 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:48,159 Speaker 4: other reason why. There is some political something going on 498 00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:50,800 Speaker 4: that suggests that there is a reason to protect him. 499 00:27:51,359 --> 00:27:54,320 Speaker 1: But eventually there's a little light at the end of 500 00:27:54,400 --> 00:27:55,879 Speaker 1: this long, miserable tunnel. 501 00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:59,359 Speaker 4: July thirty first, we went to a five hour, contentious 502 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:02,159 Speaker 4: hearing arguing the state was trying to say that he 503 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:07,440 Speaker 4: can't affirmatively prove his innocence, and the judge same day 504 00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:11,840 Speaker 4: said this case had slim evidence to begin with, and 505 00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:15,600 Speaker 4: there is no evidence to rebut what Roosevelt is saying, 506 00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:18,240 Speaker 4: so he gets his certificate of innocence. 507 00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:19,359 Speaker 5: End of story. 508 00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:22,800 Speaker 1: I wish you all the best in the civil litigation, Roosevelt. 509 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:24,440 Speaker 1: There's no amount that they could ever forgive you that 510 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:27,440 Speaker 1: would make up for this. But in the meantime, is 511 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:30,640 Speaker 1: there anything that you'd like, any action steps that you'd 512 00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:31,640 Speaker 1: like our audience to take. 513 00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:34,240 Speaker 3: I won't tell the audience. You know I'm doing good. 514 00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:37,160 Speaker 3: I have no profit organization in por call help break 515 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:40,560 Speaker 3: the chain. I'vedafted the school while go in I do 516 00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:44,240 Speaker 3: one on ones with students and small groups, and I 517 00:28:44,360 --> 00:28:46,560 Speaker 3: try to better myself each and every day. God wakes 518 00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:48,280 Speaker 3: me up and give me life. Everything got the that 519 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:51,120 Speaker 3: I'd give back to him, So I'm not bitter. I 520 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:53,760 Speaker 3: just hate that I lost my parents seven months apart 521 00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:56,920 Speaker 3: in sixteen to seventeen. But I know they watch his 522 00:28:56,960 --> 00:28:59,800 Speaker 3: old me, every movie, every step I make, and I'm 523 00:28:59,840 --> 00:29:02,520 Speaker 3: just happy to have my Earth angels in my corn. 524 00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:03,640 Speaker 2: Ashley and Jennifer. 525 00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:06,560 Speaker 3: These young ladies brought me out of here, out of Pitiphire, 526 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:09,040 Speaker 3: and brought me to life, gave me life back as 527 00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:09,320 Speaker 3: they do. 528 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:10,160 Speaker 2: With so many others. 529 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:13,400 Speaker 3: We're family, That's all I can say. We're family, and 530 00:29:13,720 --> 00:29:16,760 Speaker 3: I'd just like to see Woji have his day in 531 00:29:16,840 --> 00:29:20,200 Speaker 3: court where everybody sees his true clothes and who this 532 00:29:20,360 --> 00:29:21,080 Speaker 3: man really is. 533 00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:23,800 Speaker 1: Amen to that, and we're going to have your nonprofit 534 00:29:24,160 --> 00:29:27,600 Speaker 1: linked in the episode description, so for anyone who wants 535 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:30,120 Speaker 1: to get involved, please check it out. And with that 536 00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:33,840 Speaker 1: we go now to closing arguments, where first of all, 537 00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:38,560 Speaker 1: I thank both of you again for sharing this unbelievable story. 538 00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:41,600 Speaker 1: I'm gonna kick back in my chair with my microphone 539 00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:44,120 Speaker 1: off and my headphones on and just listen to anything 540 00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:47,200 Speaker 1: else you want to share. Ashley, you go first, and 541 00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:50,000 Speaker 1: then Roosevelt, you take us off into the sunset. 542 00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:52,719 Speaker 5: For the sixty year in a row. 543 00:29:53,120 --> 00:29:57,080 Speaker 4: Chicago ranked the first in the number of exonerations across 544 00:29:57,080 --> 00:30:00,280 Speaker 4: the United States. They are the wrongful conviction cap of 545 00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:02,760 Speaker 4: the world. They've paid over seven hundred and thirty five 546 00:30:02,840 --> 00:30:06,960 Speaker 4: million dollars in connection with lawsuits for wrongful convictions. The 547 00:30:07,720 --> 00:30:11,840 Speaker 4: number does not consider the attorney's fees and the cost 548 00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:16,240 Speaker 4: paid to private firms to defend these unwinnable cases, and 549 00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:20,760 Speaker 4: there's over two hundred wrongful conviction cases currently pending in 550 00:30:21,440 --> 00:30:25,320 Speaker 4: the Northern District of Illinois right now. There were issues 551 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:28,560 Speaker 4: back in the nineties in the eighties. That really hurt 552 00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:32,280 Speaker 4: a lot of people, and it should trigger something in 553 00:30:32,360 --> 00:30:34,520 Speaker 4: the City of Chicago to say, you know what, we 554 00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:36,960 Speaker 4: really need to evaluate these cases. We need to look 555 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:41,840 Speaker 4: at these individuals, assess their cases early on, and provide compensation. 556 00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:44,600 Speaker 4: I mean, Roosevelt's sixty years old. He doesn't want to 557 00:30:44,640 --> 00:30:47,440 Speaker 4: spend the next seven years fighting in court. He'd be 558 00:30:47,800 --> 00:30:51,040 Speaker 4: open to a reasonable settlement amount for what he went through, 559 00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:54,160 Speaker 4: because we all know there's absolutely no amount of money 560 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:57,480 Speaker 4: that can compensate somebody for wrongful conviction. Give them the 561 00:30:57,520 --> 00:30:59,920 Speaker 4: opportunity to rebuild their life and to start a new 562 00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:03,560 Speaker 4: and fairly, and then maybe you'll save some money. Maybe 563 00:31:03,640 --> 00:31:06,040 Speaker 4: don't think about you know, oh, how it's going to 564 00:31:06,120 --> 00:31:08,440 Speaker 4: hurt your pocket. Now, think about down the road. It's 565 00:31:08,480 --> 00:31:10,400 Speaker 4: going to hurt a lot more when the city goes 566 00:31:10,440 --> 00:31:13,840 Speaker 4: bankrupt because they have twenty two hundred wrongful conviction cases 567 00:31:13,960 --> 00:31:17,080 Speaker 4: that they have to pay out astronomical money and also 568 00:31:17,160 --> 00:31:20,160 Speaker 4: two attorneys fees. It's just it's so short sighted, and 569 00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:22,880 Speaker 4: there really needs to be somebody who comes in who 570 00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:25,280 Speaker 4: looks at these cases for what they are early on 571 00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:28,480 Speaker 4: and figures out how to settle them in a way 572 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:32,880 Speaker 4: that makes the individual on the other side happy enough. 573 00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:35,280 Speaker 5: To move on with their life. It's a real problem, 574 00:31:35,400 --> 00:31:37,880 Speaker 5: and I really hope somebody can figure this out for 575 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:38,480 Speaker 5: all of them. 576 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:41,840 Speaker 3: All right, I like, thank lover and you guys doing 577 00:31:41,880 --> 00:31:46,080 Speaker 3: what y'all do. It helps show America what Chicago's really 578 00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:48,280 Speaker 3: about when it comes to these wrongful convictions. 579 00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:51,320 Speaker 2: We need to take the whole justice. 580 00:31:51,120 --> 00:31:55,040 Speaker 3: System, ill know, and get it Redone need a due over, 581 00:31:55,320 --> 00:31:56,240 Speaker 3: just like you're doing makeover. 582 00:31:56,320 --> 00:31:56,960 Speaker 2: Need a due over. 583 00:31:57,120 --> 00:32:00,920 Speaker 3: I wrote DOJ a Baptist years ago, and they wrote 584 00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:03,120 Speaker 3: me back and said they gonna work on it. Yet 585 00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:06,200 Speaker 3: it still hasn't happened, But now one of the former 586 00:32:06,320 --> 00:32:09,680 Speaker 3: lawyers on my case is working to change it. We 587 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:13,240 Speaker 3: need change because if we don't, it's gonna be a 588 00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:16,240 Speaker 3: whole lot of payment coming. And it's a lot of 589 00:32:16,280 --> 00:32:19,600 Speaker 3: people that's in prison for wrongful conviction, not count the 590 00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:22,000 Speaker 3: people that didn't even fight it and came home from 591 00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:23,160 Speaker 3: these wrongful convictions. 592 00:32:23,480 --> 00:32:25,760 Speaker 2: You know, I know a lot of them. They gave up. 593 00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:28,640 Speaker 2: So I just wanted us to be back right right, 594 00:32:28,800 --> 00:32:30,240 Speaker 2: society back right, man. 595 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:33,440 Speaker 3: You know, we need to get let the legislators and 596 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:35,880 Speaker 3: they'll know to sit down and go to work on it, 597 00:32:36,160 --> 00:32:38,320 Speaker 3: because it's a bill out now where they'll pay me 598 00:32:38,600 --> 00:32:41,000 Speaker 3: zero point five million for my cl I. 599 00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:43,960 Speaker 2: All you got to do is sign that bill, quitn 600 00:32:44,040 --> 00:32:45,240 Speaker 2: sitting on it. But I'm here. 601 00:32:45,360 --> 00:32:48,440 Speaker 3: I'm here to testify that God is good, people are good, 602 00:32:48,840 --> 00:32:51,600 Speaker 3: and I know that our lesson lady got some type 603 00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:54,120 Speaker 3: of goods in their heart where they see this, because 604 00:32:54,160 --> 00:32:56,600 Speaker 3: my case should never happened and it should never linger 605 00:32:56,680 --> 00:32:59,440 Speaker 3: in court for twenty two years like it done. 606 00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:09,520 Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to Wrongful Conviction. You can listen 607 00:33:09,600 --> 00:33:11,960 Speaker 1: to this and all the Lava for Good podcasts one 608 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:14,960 Speaker 1: week early and ad free by subscribing to Lava for 609 00:33:15,080 --> 00:33:18,080 Speaker 1: Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I want to thank our 610 00:33:18,080 --> 00:33:21,400 Speaker 1: production team, Connor Hall and Kathleen Fink, as well as 611 00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:25,320 Speaker 1: my fellow executive producers Jeff Kempler, Kevin Wartis, and Jeff Cliburn. 612 00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:27,680 Speaker 1: The music in this production was supplied by three time 613 00:33:27,760 --> 00:33:31,080 Speaker 1: OSCAR nominated composer Jay Ralph. Be sure to follow us 614 00:33:31,080 --> 00:33:33,920 Speaker 1: across all social media platforms at Lava for Good and 615 00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:37,320 Speaker 1: at Wrongful Conviction. You can also follow me on Instagram 616 00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:40,520 Speaker 1: at It's Jason Flamm. Wrongful Conviction is the production of 617 00:33:40,600 --> 00:33:44,040 Speaker 1: Lava for Good podcasts in association with signal company Number 618 00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:44,200 Speaker 1: one