Today, seven men filed petitions seeking to reverse their decades-old convictions tied to disgraced former Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara. The men—who have completed their sentences and are out of custody—all claim their innocence. Their post-conviction petitions are linked for your reference below (at each client’s name). The seven men are as follows: Jayson Aguiar,…
Read MoreWinter 2024 Newsletter
Harold Staten Exonerated After 38 Years Wrongfully Incarcerated
Congratulations to Harold Staten on his exoneration yesterday! Mr. Staten was exonerated and released from the State Correctional Institution at Phoenix in Collegeville, PA last night after spending nearly 38 years imprisoned for a crime that never occurred. EP Attorney Amelia Maxfield represents Mr. Staten with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project and pro bono attorneys from…
Read MoreGuest Blog Post: Did the South Win the Civil War?
In attorney Josh Tepfer’s daughter’s AP U.S. History course, her teacher had the students conduct a trial to determine who really won the Civil War. Olive, representing the position that the South actually won, got tasked with making the closing argument. Here is her argument, re-purposed as a guest blog post. Olive Tepfer, age 16 …
Read MoreDarien Harris Exonerated 12 Years After Being Convicted Based on Blind Eyewitness’s Testimony
We are so excited to be able to say that on December 19, 2023, prosecutors decided not to move forward with a retrial against Mr. Harris and dropped all charges, thereby exonerating him. We applaud Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and her office for continuing their review of Mr. Harris’s case and ensuring that…
Read MoreJimmy Soto Exonerated, Becomes Longest Wrongfully Incarcerated Person in Illinois History
On December 14, 2023, EP client Jimmy Soto was exonerated after spending 42 years wrongfully incarcerated. Jimmy was exonerated alongside his cousin and co-defendant David Ayala – the men are now the longest wrongfully incarcerated persons in Illinois state history. They were convicted at ages 20 and 18 respectively of murders in which no physical…
Read MoreJosh Tepfer featured on WGN9 – Chicago lawyer stands out for ability to overturn wrongful convictions
Check out this great story by WGN9’s Ray Cortopassi featuring EP attorney Josh Tepfer and two of his clients, Terrill Swift and Francisco Benitez! Mr. Swift was the first client who Josh exonerated back in 2012 with Northwestern Law School’s Center on Wrongful Convictions. Mr. Benitez is the client he’s most recently exonerated, in September of…
Read MorePatrick Taylor Exonerated After 16 Years Imprisoned in Case Marred by Egregious Misconduct
Yesterday, EP client Patrick Taylor was exonerated after spending 16 years wrongfully imprisoned in a case marred by egregious misconduct. Mr. Taylor was convicted of a 2006 murder almost based solely on mistaken eyewitness testimony. Over the past several years, Mr. Taylor caught the State withholding exculpatory evidence. In April 2023, the misconduct unraveled when…
Read MoreFrankie Benitez Exonerated After 34 Years Wrongfully Imprisoned
Congratulations to our client Frankie Benitez on his very deserved exoneration that occurred September 26, 2023. His conviction was vacated by a Cook County judge in August and in September the State dropped charges. Mr. Benitez spent almost 34 years wrongfully incarcerated and was only 18 when he was convicted. Mr. Benitez was only 18…
Read MoreLouis Robinson Exonerated, Becomes 42nd Guevara Exoneree
On August 10, 2023, our client Louis Robinson saw freedom for the first time in 27 years after the Court vacated his homicide conviction. His post-conviction petition detailed the evidence of Guevara’s misconduct in his case as well as his pattern of similar misconduct in dozens of other cases. Mr. Robinson was framed for a…
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