Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx announced Tuesday that Cook County judges vacated 7 murder charges because of a former Chicago detective’s misconduct in investigating the cases. The individuals were exonerated after the Foxx chose not to oppose legal challenges to their convictions. An eighth individual’s conviction, which Foxx is no longer defending, is still under judicial review. This is the largest mass exoneration for murder in United States history.

Five of the individuals have served their full sentences, two are expected to be released, and one person remains in custody awaiting further trial hearings. All 7 people have spent 174 years in prison combined since the cases that occurred between 1989 and 1994.

Foxx said “Today the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office acted on our obligation as seekers of justice and took measured and necessary steps to right the wrongs of the past”. The State’s Attorney’s office started an investigation into Chicago Detective Reynaldo Guevara back in 2019 and continues to review allegations of misconduct against him.

Four men had their murder charges dismissed in July under similar circumstances. They were released after a judge found that Guevara and other detectives had possibly coerced the four men into confessing. There are now more than 30 people challenging their convictions because of Guevara’s misconduct.

Foxx said that the State’s Attorney’s Office “[continues] to seek justice, restore trust, and address the historic inequities of Cook County’s criminal justice system.”