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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Murder |
Sentence: |
Death |
Years Imprisoned: |
18 |
Year Crime: |
1984 |
Year Convicted: |
1986 |
Year Cleared: |
2009 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
Illinois |
County or Region of Crime: |
Cook |
City of Crime: |
Chicago |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated |
Summary of Case: |
"Nathson Edgar Fields was wrongly convicted in June 1986 of a double murder in Chicago in 1984 based on a single witness. Cook County Judge Thomas J. Maloney convicted Nathson Fields after a bench trial, and sentenced Fields to death. Judge Maloney was convicted in 1993 of accepting bribes, including $10,000 to fix Fields' case. Based on the evidence his trial judge took a $10,000 bribe to fix Fields' trial, Nathson Fields was awarded a new trial and his death sentence was vacated in 1996. In 1998 Fields' bond was set at $1 million. After 7 years in the Cook County Jail awaiting his retrial, Fields' bond was posted in May 2003 by former Illinois death row prisoner Aaron Patterson. Field's was released pending his retrial after 17 years imprisonment, including 10 on death row. Fields waived his right to a jury trial for his retrial in April 2009. On April 8, 2009 Circuit Judge Vincent Gaughan acquitted the 55-year-old Fields of murder, based on his determination that the state's witness was "unbelievable", and the testimony of Fields' co-defendant, who was promised a reduced sentence in exchange for his testimony, was uncredible. Field subsequently filed a petition for a certificate of innocence, which was denied. Fields filed a federal civil rights lawsuit that named the City of Chicago, the Chicago PD, and two Chicago PD officers as defendants for violating his constitutional rights by withholding exculpatory evidence that pointed away from him as the killer. Field's first federal trial in 2014 ended in a mistrial caused by an attorney for the City of Chicago, who was ordered by the judge to pay $70,000 in sanctions. After his second trial, on May 1, 2014 a federal jury awarded Field's $80,000 in damages. Fields filed a motion for a new trial, which was granted in 2015 by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly based on evidence a key witness for the city landed a hidden “bonanza” deal of his federal prison being reduced from 25 years to 12 years in exchange for his testimony. The third civil trial began on November 14, 2016. On December 15, 2016 a federal court jury that deliberated for 2-1/2 days awarded Fields $22 million in damages from the City of Chicago, and punitive damages of $30,000 from Sgt. David O'Callaghan and $20,000 from Lt. Joseph Murphy. The jury also found that when Fields was arrested and charged, Chicago had a pattern and practice of keeping secret street files in homicide investigations even though the practice was abolished in 1983. In January 2018 a U.S. Dist. Ct. Judge ordered Chicago to pay $5.6 million in Field's legal fees." |
Conviction Caused By: |
The prosecution's key witness committed perjury. |
Innocence Proved By: |
"On April 8 Circuit Judge Vincent Gaughan acquitted Nathson Fields of murder, based on his determination that the state's key witness was "unbelievable" and the testimony of his co-defendant was uncredible." |
Defendant Aided By: |
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Compensation Awarded: |
"$22,040,000 (City of Chicago ($22 mil.), Chicago PD Sgt. O'Callaghan ($30,000) and Chicago PD Lt. Murphy ($10,000), Dec. 15, 2016)" |
Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
32 |
Age When Released: |
49 |
Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
Black |
Information Source 1: |
"23 years after judicial misconduct, ex-gang leader freed, By Matthew Walberg, Chicago Tribune, April 9, 2009" |
Information Location 1: |
"http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-fields-09-apr09,0,7988426.story" |
Information Source 2: |
"Former death row inmate awarded only $80,000 in court fight, By Jason Meisner (Tribune Reporter), Chicago Reporter, May 1, 2014" |
Information Location 2: |
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-former-death-row-inmate-awarded-only-80000-in-court-fight-20140501-story.html |
Information Source 3: |
"No immunity for prosecutor accused of misconduct, By Victor Li, ABA Journal, January 28, 2014" |
Information Location 3: |
http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/no_immunity_for_prosecutor_accused_of_misconduct |
Information Source 4: |
"Jury awards $22 million in damages to wrongly convicted ex-El Rukn, By Jason Meisner and Elyssa Cherney (Staff), Chicago Tribune, Dec. 15, 2016" |
Information Location 4: |
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-el-rukn-trial-verdict-met-20161215-story.html |
Information Source 5: |
"City agrees to pay $9.3 million for wrongful conviction tied to Burge detectives, By Jason Meisner (Reporter), Chicago Tribune, January 10, 2018" |
Information Location 5: |
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-wrongful-conviction-jon-burge-20180110-story.html |
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Comments About Case: |
Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org