According to an
article in the Daily Herald, a man convicted in Waukegan is suing after DNA evidence suggests he was innocent, or at least not guilty beyond the shadow of a doubt. The conviction seemed like a slam dunk, it was a written confession of the crime, however the lawsuit alleges some pretty awful things happened before he agreed to a written confession.
The lawsuit alleges officers threatened to kill Edwards and make his death look like a suicide if he did not admit to the murder of Reckling and a second murder of a 1974 murder of a Cleveland, Ohio, woman.
Video surveillance of the bank robbery later showed Edwards was not the suspect, and charges were not filed, according to the lawsuit.
In the wake of the Jerry Hobbs lawsuit, this seems to be another one that indicates a pattern of threats from police in order to get a confession. This level of misconduct seems to be limited to civil court. Paying someone a bunch of money because thugs with badges ruined their life does not seem like actual justice. The police and prosecutors of Lake County seem to under the impression that most of their citizens are animals that need to be caged, the truth is, most of the police and prosecutors of Lake County are the animals that need caging.
