(NewsSpace.com) – When a crime is committed, authorities do their best to identify suspects and collect evidence. Sometimes, however, they get it wrong for a variety of reasons. A man in Chicago was recently released from prison after his conviction was vacated. He’s now suing several entities.
In 2011, Rondell Moore was murdered at a gas station in Chicago’s South Side. Then-18-year-old Darien Harris was arrested and charged with the crime. The evidence was largely based on eyewitness testimony from Dexter Saffold, who allegedly saw Harris at the scene, running away with a gun. Saffold identified Harris in a lineup and then again during the trial. However, it later came to light—after Harris and his supporters hired a private investigator—that the eyewitness was legally blind.
In 2019, Harris’ legal team began challenging the conviction, citing that neither the attorneys, Harris, nor the judge were aware of Saffold’s vision problems due to glaucoma. In fact, his medical records state that he has “markedly reduced vision, especially at night,” and had been declared legally blind. Moore was murdered at night.
When he filed to have his conviction overturned, Harris included a statement from another eyewitness, the gas station attendant on duty that night, who pointed the finger at a different suspect, but was subjected to “police threats and coercion in an attempt to force a false identification of Harris.” In 2017, the Justice Department found that the Chicago Police Department regularly violated residents’ constitutional rights and used excessive force. That all helped with the decision to vacate Harris’ conviction. He was originally sentenced to 76 years and served just over 12.
Harris is now suing the Chicago PD, the city of Chicago, and seven police officers who were involved in the case more than a decade ago. The lawsuit accuses the department of “systemic police misconduct” using false evidence and statements through shady tactics to secure a conviction. Harris is also filing for a certificate of innocence and appeared in court on Thursday, May 30.
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