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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Murder |
Sentence: |
Death and later resentenced or commuted to Life |
Years Imprisoned: |
17 |
Year Crime: |
1986 |
Year Convicted: |
1987 |
Year Cleared: |
2004 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
Illinois |
County or Region of Crime: |
Edgar |
City of Crime: |
Paris |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated Released |
Summary of Case: |
"Gordon Randall Steidl was the co-defendant of Herbert Whitlock. Both men were wrongly convicted in 1987 of murdering a newlywed couple, Karen and Dyke Rhoads, in 1986 based on the testimony of two prosecution witnesses who claimed to have been present when the Rhoads were stabbed to death and their home set on fire. The witnesses, Deborah Reinbolt and Darrell Harrington, were both alcoholics. Gordon Steidel was sentenced to death, while Herbert Whitlock was sentenced to life in prison. Steidl spent 12 years on death row before being resentenced to to life in prison in 1999. After a federal judge reversed his conviction in June 2003 based on his trial lawyer's failure to investigate exculpatory evidence, Steidl was released on May 28, 2004 when a county judge granted the State's Attorney's motion to dismiss the charges against him. In 2007 the Fourth District Illinois Appellate Court ordered a new trial for Whitlock based on the failure to disclose exculpatory evidence that the prosecution's two main witnesses initially implicated other suspects, and that officials provided the alcoholic witnesses drinks. Whitlock was released from prison on January 8, 2008 when the prosecution dismissed the indictment against him. On October 25, 2011 the Illinois State Patrol agreed to settle Steidl's federal civil rights lawsuit for $2.5 million." |
Conviction Caused By: |
Perjury by two prosecution witness |
Innocence Proved By: |
"Conviction reversed by Federal Judge in 2003. Charges dropped by prosecutors on May 28, 2004." |
Defendant Aided By: |
"Michael Metnick, of Springfield, IL, Kathryn Saltmarsh, of the Illinois Appellate Defender's Office, Lawrence Marshall, Karen Daniel, and Jane Raley, of the Center on Wrongful Convictions, and Richard Kling, of the Chicago Kent College of Law Legal Clinic. The investigation was led by Bill Clutter, of Springfield, and David Protess, of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism." |
Compensation Awarded: |
"$2,500,000 (Illinois State Patrol , Oct. 2011)" |
Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
35 |
Age When Released: |
52 |
Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
White |
Information Source 1: |
"Illinois State Police settle wrongful conviction suit in Paris, Ill., murders, By David Mercer, The Tribune-Star (Terre Haute, IN), November 30, 2011" |
Information Location 1: |
http://tribstar.com/latest/x1331364418/Illinois-State-Police-settle-wrongful-conviction-suit-in-Paris-Ill-murders |
Information Source 2: |
"Inmate Free After 17 Years, Hal Dardick (staff), Chicago Tribune, 5-29-04" |
Information Location 2: |
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Information Source 3: |
"Man Wrongly Convicted Leaves IL Prison, AP, 05-29-04" |
Information Location 3: |
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Information Source 4: |
"State to free 18th person Who Was On Death Row, Steve Mills (staff), Chicago Tribune, 05-27-04" |
Information Location 4: |
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Information Source 5: |
"Ex-Death Row Inmate Walks Free After State Drops Case, Jim Paul (staff), Chicago Sun-Times, 05-29-04" |
Information Location 5: |
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Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org