CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A man who spent four years in prison for a murder he did not commit has just passed the Illinois State Bar Exam.
"It’s a nice weight off my shoulders and now I can focus on the future and start bringing people home who are innocent," said Fox Lake native Mario Casciaro.The 36-year old learned this week he passed the bar. He was convicted and sent to prison for the 2002 murder of 17-year-old Brian Carrick but was freed about two years later. Now, he hopes to be able to help others who are in similar circumstances.
Casciaro said there’s one trait that innocent people never lose: the fight to prove they don’t belong in prison.
"Generally, somebody that’s guilty, at a certain point after they’ve exhausted most of their legal remedies and family resources, they kind of quit," he said.However, Casciaro did not quit and neither did his lawyer, Kathleen Zellner.If Casciaro had not had his conviction overturned, he’d still be in prison serving a 26-year sentence.Casciaro believes he’s the first person exonerated for a crime to have taken or passed the Illinois Bar Exam.Casciaro was indicted in 2007, convicted in 2013 and had his conviction overturned in 2015. He attended the Loyola University School of Law.
