Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
David Struett

Cousins who served longest wrongful conviction sentence in state history exonerated after 42 years in prison

James Soto is embraced as he walks out of Stateville Correctional Center on Thursday evening. Soto, 62, was tried and wrongfully convicted of shooting two people in McKinley Park in 1981. (Courtesy ABC7 Chicago)

Two cousins imprisoned four decades for a double slaying in McKinley Park were exonerated Thursday in what is the longest-served wrongful conviction in state history.

Family packed the fourth-floor Cook County courtroom as a judge vacated the convictions of James Soto, 62, and David Ayala, 60.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.