Miguel Castillo

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Charge:	Murder
Sentence:	48 years
Years Imprisoned:	11.5
Year Crime:	1988
Year Convicted:	1991
Year Cleared:	2001
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Illinois
County or Region of Crime:	Cook
City of Crime:	Chicago
Result:	Pardoned
Summary of Case:	"Miguel Castillo was wrongly convicted of a 1988 murder based on his alleged false confession to an English speaking Chicago policeman, while Castillo spoke Spanish. There was no tape or signed confession and Castillo denied confessing to the murder. After 11-1/2 years imprisonment, Castillo was released after it was proven by medical experts that the murder occurred between May 7 and May 9, 1988, and Castillo was in the Cook County Jail from March 23 to May 11, 1988, so he couldn't have committed the crime. Castillo received $1.2 million in 2004 to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Chicago and three policemen. Pardoned by IL Gov George Ryan on January 8, 2003. Castillo received $122,786 wrongful imprisonment compensation from the State of Illinois in 2004."
Conviction Caused By:	"False confession allegedly made by the Spanish speaking Castillo to an English speaking policeman, but there was no tape or signed evidence of the confession that Castillo denied making."
Innocence Proved By:	Alibi established that Castillo was in the Cook County Jail on the day the murder occurred.
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:	"$1,322,786 total. $1.2 million (City of Chicago, March 2004) and $122,786 (State of Illinois, 2004)"
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:	36
Age When Released:	49
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Hispanic
Information Source 1:	Northwestern School of Law Center on Wrongful Convictions database
Information Location 1:	http://www.law.northwestern.edu/depts/clinic/wrongful/exonerations/Castillo.htm
Information Source 2:	"Wrongly convicted man gets $1.2 million, Chicago AP, San Diego Union-Tribune, April 1, 2004 "
Information Location 2:
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Information Source 4:	"Chicago Tribune, January 19, 2001"
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Miguel Castillo

Charge:

Murder

Sentence:

48 years

Years Imprisoned:

11.5

Year Crime:

1988

Year Convicted:

1991

Year Cleared:

2001

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Illinois

County or Region of Crime:

Cook

City of Crime:

Chicago

Result:

Pardoned

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

"False confession allegedly made by the Spanish speaking Castillo to an English speaking policeman, but there was no tape or signed evidence of the confession that Castillo denied making."

Innocence Proved By:

Alibi established that Castillo was in the Cook County Jail on the day the murder occurred.

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

"$1,322,786 total. $1.2 million (City of Chicago, March 2004) and $122,786 (State of Illinois, 2004)"

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

36

Age When Released:

49

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Hispanic

Information Source 1:

Northwestern School of Law Center on Wrongful Convictions database

Information Location 1:

http://www.law.northwestern.edu/depts/clinic/wrongful/exonerations/Castillo.htm

Information Source 2:

"Wrongly convicted man gets $1.2 million, Chicago AP, San Diego Union-Tribune, April 1, 2004 "

Information Location 2:

Information Source 3:

Information Location 3:

Information Source 4:

"Chicago Tribune, January 19, 2001"

Information Location 4:

Information Source 5:

Information Location 5:

Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case: