Wrongly Convicted Database Record

 

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Jermaine Walker

 

Charge:

Drug Related (Possession or sale)

Sentence:

10 to 22 years

Years Imprisoned:

10.1

Year Crime:

2006

Year Convicted:

2006

Year Cleared:

2016

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Illinois

County or Region of Crime:

Cook

City of Crime:

Chicago

Result:

Judicially Exonerated

Summary of Case:

"Jermaine Walker was wrongly convicted on June 2, 2006 of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school in Chicago, Illinois. Walker's prosecution was based on the testimony of Chicago PD officers Eric Reyes and Sebastian Flatley that on February 21, 2006 they saw him throw a package of cocaine out of driver's side of a car parked in an alley. Walker was sitting in the driver's seat and the police also testified that cocaine was found in his car. Walker, his brother Russell Walker, and Dewey Brown were arrested related to the incident. Walker handled his case pro se, and his defense was that the officers not only planted the drugs, but that they pulled him out of his car and beat and punched him as he told them that there was a surveillance camera in the alley recording the events. The officer's denied there was a surveillance camera, Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office investigator Thomas Finnelly testified there was no camera, and the prosecutor mocked Walker's claim of a surveillance camera during closing arguments. After the jury convicted Walker, he was sentenced to 10 to 22 years in prison. Walker appealed, and in denying it the appeals court stated that a reinvestigation of his case would be a "meaningless evercise." Walker's persistence in proclaiming his innocence attracted the attention of attorney Ingrid Gill with the Cook County Public Defender’s Office. Gill discovered photos from the time of the incident that clearly showed a surveillance camera in the alley. Gill filed a post-conviction petition in May 2015 seeking a new trial based on the violation of his right to due process, that was proven by the new photographic evidence, and the affidavits of two workers who confirmed the camera was installed prior to February 21, 2006. The workers also provided the new evidence that the camera broadcast to a monitor in real-time, but the video feed wasn't recorded. The Cook County State’s Attorney's Office responded by reinvestigating Walker's case. The State's Attorney's Office determined Walker's conviction was a miscarriage of justice, and filed a motion to vacate his conviction and dismss the charges against him. The motion was granted on March 25, 2016 by Cook County Judge Catherine Haberkorn, who apologized to Walker, “A severe injustice was done here.” She said about the apparent perjury of Reyes, Flatley, and Finnelly during Walker's trial: “[A]nd it is very disturbing and upsetting, especially as a judge, to be involved in a system where an officer, especially an officer of the court, would come in and swear under oath to something that was not true. That’s a terrible thing and very disheartening to find out that someone has done something like this,” Walker was released from prison after more than ten years in custody. On April 16, 2016 Walker filed a petition for a Certificate of Innocence, that will allow Walker to file a compensation claim with the State of Illinois for up to $170,000. Walker filed a federal civil rights lawsuit that named as defendants the City of Chicago and officers involved in his prosecution and who apparently commtited perjury during his trial. Walker's brother, Russell Walker, and Brown, both took plea deals in exchange for reduced charges and each served a year in prison. Based on the new evidence they can seek to have their guilty pleas withdrawn and their convictions vacated."

Conviction Caused By:

"Perjury by three prosecution witnesses, two police officers, and an investigator with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office."

Innocence Proved By:

"The State's Attorney's Office determined Walker's conviction was a miscarriage of justice, and filed a motion to vacate his conviction and dismss the charges against him. The motion was granted on March 25, 2016 by Cook County Judge Catherine Haberkorn, who apologized to Walker, “A severe injustice was done here.”"

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

29

Age When Released:

39

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Black

Information Source 1:

"This Man Was Freed After 10 Years in Prison Because Police Lied About A Camera, By Mike Hayes (BuzzFeed News Reporter), BuzzFeedNews.com, April 18, 2016"

Information Location 1:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/mikehayes/this-man-was-freed-after-10-years-in-prison-because-police-l?utm_term=.imp8dbPWM#.kgWlog2D7

Information Source 2:

"Man Set Free After 10 Years In Prison Because Police Lied In Court: Chicago police testified there was no surveillance camera in the alley where they arrested Jermaine Walker — but there was, By Ken Patterson, BlackMattersUS.com, April. 19, 2016"

Information Location 2:

https://blackmattersus.com/6984-man-set-free-after-10-years-in-prison-because-police-lied-in-court/

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Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org

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