CHICAG0 (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Three months now after a Chicago woman's murder conviction was thrown out, she is suing the city and the detectives she said are responsible for putting her behind bars for more than 17 years.
The lawsuit filed by 47-year-old Madeline Mendoza asks for unspecified damages.
"You know, money cannot bring back time. It's time that's already been lost, right?"
Mendoza was 18 years old when she pleaded guilty to murder charges.
"Because that was the only option offered by my attorney."
She served her prison sentence and was freed in 2009.
This past January, her 1993 conviction was thrown out and now she's suing the city and the detectives she said framed her, including the notorious now-retired Detective Reynaldo Guevara.
"They took my whole life away from me," Mendoza said.
"They took everything from me and slowly I've been maintaining and making sure that I take care of myself to strive and be a better person and be as productive as I can."
Mendoza said she works as a quality control technician and spends time with her grandchildren and with her daughter, whose milestones in life she missed for so many years.
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