Man Suing For Wrongful Conviction In 1997 Attack

Police coercion again. Victim Recanted Her Identification Of Robert Wilson As The Man Who Slashed Her Throat

CHICAGO: A man who spent nine years in prison for attacking a woman and was later exonerated is now suing the Chicago Police Department and others. CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman reports that the federal lawsuit says Robert Wilson spent nine years in prison for a crime he didnt commit. He was exonerated last year when the victim recanted her identification of Wilson as her attacker. But Wilson had already lost almost a decade of his life behind bars, missing out on things like raising his kids and pursuing a career. "Going through the system was very stressful and very degrading ... You know, it's hard to sit in the penitentiary for something you didn't do," Wilson said.

Wilson's ordeal began in March of 1997. Police arrested him at the same bus stop where a woman was attacked the day before, her throat slashed. His suit says Chicago police officers forced a confession out of him after threatening him, intimidating him, denying him medication and promising him leniency if he did confess.

The complaint also says a series of similar attacks followed Wilson's arrest. Another man was charged in those cases, but Wilson's attorney was barred from presenting that as evidence during his trial.

For all those reasons and others, WIlson and the man representing him from the MacArthur Justice Center hope to send a message. "The message that this lawsuit has to send is that it's time for the police to get control of their operation. I mean, you know, we see this over again and again; police systematically engaging in abuse of people that they are interrogating; manipulating eyewitnesses; producing erroneous convictions," said attorney Locke Bowman.

They're suing for unspecified damages. The suit also names as defendants an assistant Cook County state's attorney, the City of Chicago and Cook County. CBS 2 has not been able to get comment from any of those agencies, but at least one said that they plan to have some sort of statement later in the day.

Report here



(And don't forget your ration of Wicked Thoughts for today)