Chicago man convicted of murder based on blind witness’ testimony sues city, police

A Chicago man, Darien Harris, who was exonerated in 2023 due to evidence revealing the wrongful conviction in a murder trial, has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city and police department. The lawsuit alleges “egregious misconduct” by Chicago police, including fabrication of evidence and coercion of witnesses into providing false statements.

Harris was arrested as an 18-year-old high school student in connection to a fatal shooting at a South Side gas station in 2011. Despite serving more than 12 years of a 76-year prison term, Harris was exonerated last December after evidence showed that a key eyewitness, who was legally blind due to advanced glaucoma at the time of the shooting, provided false testimony.

Since his release, Harris has faced challenges in rebuilding his life, including financial difficulties and obstacles in finding employment and pursuing education opportunities.

The lawsuit highlights systemic police misconduct in Harris’ case, including reliance on unreliable eyewitness testimony and coercion of witnesses. It alleges a pattern of such misconduct at the Area Two Police Headquarters, where officers were purportedly trained to fabricate evidence and withhold exculpatory evidence to secure wrongful convictions.

The case underscores broader issues of wrongful convictions in the United States, with over 3,500 exonerations since 1989, according to the National Registry of Exonerations. Official misconduct has been a significant factor in many of these cases, including 118 exonerations in 2023 alone, particularly in homicide cases.

Furthermore, racial disparities persist in wrongful convictions, with innocent Black Americans being seven times more likely than white Americans to be falsely convicted of serious crimes, as highlighted in the registry’s reports.