In an electrifying turn of events, two Illinois cousins, suffering under the weight of a prolific, wrongful conviction case, were set free this week after having spent a harrowing 42 long years behind bars. The case now holds the dubious distinction of being the longest wrongful conviction sentence in the state's history. In a breathtaking string of victories against judicial errors, they were not the only ones granted the sweet taste of freedom this week.
Miguel Solorio, after bearing the punishing injustice of being incarcerated for 25 years for a crime he didn't commit, has finally set foot into the bosom of his family. Accused and arrested for a grisly drive-by shooting in 1998, Solorio's name was, unfortunately, flagged by a witness which led law enforcement to put him into the crosshairs of their investigation, sidestepping objective evaluation of evidence. The Northern California Innocence Project swooped in to review the case; persuading L.A. District Attorney George Gascon that Solorio was erroneously identified in a police photo line-up.
