Lionel White Sr

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Charge:	Drug Related (Possession or sale)
Sentence:	5 years
Years Imprisoned:	2.5
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:	"Lionel White Sr was wrongly convicted in June 26, 2006 of drug charges in Chicago, Illinois. White's prosecution was based on evidence by Chicago Police Dept. Sgt. Ronald Watts. White insisted he was innocent and had been framed, but with a record that would result in a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole if he went to trial and lost, he pled guilty. During his sentencing hearing White told the judge in speaking about Sgt. Watts and his fellow officers, "They was in my house beating me and I went to the hospital, your honor. This is wrong. I am pleading guilty because I am scared, that's the honest-to-God truth. ... When they was in my house beating me, I went to the window to holler out for help. But I am scared. That's why I am taking the (prison) time, your honor." In spite of White's denial of guilt, Cook County Circuit Judge Kathleen Pantle accepted his guilty plea, and sentenced him to five years in prison. White was released on parole in 2008. In 2012 Watts and Chicago PD Officer Kallat Mohammed, a member of the team Watts supervised, pled guilty to stealing what they thought was drug money from an FBI informant. In October 2013 Watts was sentenced to 22 months in federal prison. In November 2016 White filed a petition to overturn his conviction based on the new evidence undermining Watts' credibility. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office did not oppose White's petition. On December 14, 2016 White's petition was granted, and the motion by the State's Attorney to dismiss the charges was granted by Cook County Circuit Court Judge LeRoy Martin Jr. Judge Martin stated during the hearing that "Circumstances do lead to Mr. White’s lack of culpability. One thing about Mr. White’s case that is compelling is that he made an outcry [about his innocence] from the beginning, much like [Ben] Baker did.” Lionel White was the fourth person to have their convictions overturned and charges dismissed based on Sgt. Watts' corruption. On January 5, 2017 White's petition for a Certificate of Innocence was granted by Judge Martin. The Certificate enables White to submit a claim for compensation from the State of Illinois."
Conviction Caused By:	Perjury by corrupt Chicago Police Dept. Sgt. Ronald Watts.
Innocence Proved By:	"In November 2016 White filed a petition to overturn his conviction based on the new evidence undermining Watts' credibility. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office did not oppose White's petition. On December 14, 2016 White's petition was granted, and the motion by the State's Attorney to dismiss the charges was granted. On January 5, 2017 White's petition for a Certificate of Innocence was granted by Cook County Circuit Court Judge LeRoy Martin Jr."
Defendant Aided By:	Cook County State's Attorney's Office Conviction Integrity Unit and the Exoneration Project at the University of Chicago Law School.
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:	33
Age When Released:	36
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Black
Information Source 1:	"Ex-Inmate Gets OK To Seek Money In Case Tied To Corrupt Sergeant, By Chip Mitchell, WBEZ 91.5fm (Chicago), January 5, 2017"
Information Location 1:	https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/exinmate-gets-ok-to-seek-money-in-case-tied-to-corrupt-sergeant/177077e9-4bb2-49e3-8896-f001e90c6760
Information Source 2:	"Another questionable arrest by corrupt Chicago cop could be thrown out, By Jason Meisner (Staff reporter), Chicago Tribune, Dec. 13, 2016"
Information Location 2:	http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-corrupt-chicago-cop-ronald-watts-met-20161213-story.html
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Lionel White Sr

Charge:

Drug Related (Possession or sale)

Sentence:

5 years

Years Imprisoned:

2.5

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:

Conviction Caused By:

Perjury by corrupt Chicago Police Dept. Sgt. Ronald Watts.

Innocence Proved By:

Defendant Aided By:

Cook County State's Attorney's Office Conviction Integrity Unit and the Exoneration Project at the University of Chicago Law School.

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

33

Age When Released:

36

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Black

Information Source 1:

"Ex-Inmate Gets OK To Seek Money In Case Tied To Corrupt Sergeant, By Chip Mitchell, WBEZ 91.5fm (Chicago), January 5, 2017"

Information Location 1:

https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/exinmate-gets-ok-to-seek-money-in-case-tied-to-corrupt-sergeant/177077e9-4bb2-49e3-8896-f001e90c6760

Information Source 2:

"Another questionable arrest by corrupt Chicago cop could be thrown out, By Jason Meisner (Staff reporter), Chicago Tribune, Dec. 13, 2016"

Information Location 2:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-corrupt-chicago-cop-ronald-watts-met-20161213-story.html

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Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

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