Prosecutors on Monday agreed to throw out a 1991 murder conviction of Daniel Rodriguez, who spent more than 30 years claiming he was framed by former Chicago Police detective Reynaldo Guevara.
Rodriguez choked up repeatedly during a news conference at his lawyers’ office, recalling how he had always believed— even during the 13 years he spent in prison for the murder of Jose “Junito” Hernandez Jr.— he would clear his name. At a brief hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse on Monday, prosecutors dropped their demand for an evidentiary hearing that would likely have again seen the retired detective on the witness stand. Judge Sophia Atcherson vacated Rodriquez’s conviction, the 21st time a case handled by Guevara had been overturned based on allegations of misconduct by the detective, his lawyer said.
