Robert Johnson set to be released after jury vacates his conviction in 1996 Chicago murder
A man who was wrongly convicted of a 1996 murder was set to go free on Thursday.Robert Johnson was set to be let out of the Cook County Jail anytime after 4 p.m., after his conviction was vacated by a jury.
Johnson was convicted of armed robbery, home invasion, and first-degree murder when he was 16. He was found guilty of the April 14, 1996, murder of Eddie Binion, a drug dealer who was shot and killed in a robbery in his apartment.The Exoneration Project said Johnson was put in jail after a juvenile gave false testimony. Since then, that person has recanted and identified the true perpetrator, who is now dead.That person said police detectives forced him to implicate Johnson falsely. The detectives had previously worked under disgraced former Cmdr. Jon Burge, who oversaw the torture and coerced confessions of at least 125 people from the 1970s to the 1990s.Burge was fired from the Police Department in 1993 â a few years before the Johnson case â after a police review board found he had tortured a suspect. He was convicted of lying about torture in testimony he provided for a civil case in 2010, and he died in 2018.As for Johnson, the first thing he plans to do when he is released is hug his 90-year-old grandmother.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Cold Case Solved: Texas Man Indicted for 1996 MurderAfter nearly 30 years, David Paul Cady Jr. has been indicted for the 1996 murder of Mary Moore Searight in Paris, Texas. The case was reopened thanks to the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) program, which allowed investigators to analyze previously collected DNA evidence. Cady was arrested in February 2024 and is currently in custody.
Read more »
DNA Evidence Raises Doubt in 1996 Death of Real Estate DeveloperNearly 30 years after Gary Triano's death in a car bombing, new DNA evidence is questioning the convictions of his ex-wife and her associate. Stephanie Bond, attorney for Pam Phillips, argues that if it can be proven that Ron Young did not build the bomb, Phillips cannot be connected to the murder. The Pima County Attorney's Office, representing the State of Arizona, maintains the new DNA evidence is insufficient and Phillips' guilt remains evident.
Read more »
New DNA Evidence Could Free Woman Convicted in 1996 Car BombingNearly 30 years after the murder of real estate developer Gary Triano, new DNA evidence is casting doubt on the conviction of his ex-wife, Pam Phillips.
Read more »
New DNA Evidence Could Lead to New Trial in 1996 Real Estate Developer MurderNearly 30 years after Gary Triano was killed in a car bombing, new DNA evidence is raising questions about the conviction of his ex-wife, Pam Phillips, and her associate, Ron Young. Attorney Stephanie Bond believes the DNA, which doesn't match Young's, could overturn the conviction. The case is being re-examined, with hopes of using genetic genealogy to identify the unknown contributor to the bomb.
Read more »
DNA Evidence Raises Doubts About Conviction in 1996 Real Estate Developer's DeathNearly 30 years after the killing of prominent real estate developer Gary Triano in a car bombing, a new DNA analysis has cast doubt on the conviction of his ex-wife, Pam Phillips. Attorney Stephanie Bond, representing Phillips, argues that if it can be proven that Ron Young, the convicted individual responsible for building the bomb, was not involved, Phillips cannot be linked to the crime. The case will be revisited in a new 20/20 episode airing January 24th.
Read more »
Chicago man has 1996 murder conviction vacated after serving nearly 30 years in prisonA 43-year-old man is being released from prison Thursday after he was wrongfully convicted of murder when he was just 16, a judge ruled this week.
Read more »