CHICAGO CITY HALL (WBBM Newsradio) -- Lawyers for the City of Chicago are asking aldermen to sign off on the latest multi-million dollar payment to settle a claim of wrongful conviction.
Alberto Ochoa's lawsuit against the city and three members of the Chicago Police Department says he was a day laborer from Mexico whose life changed in December of 2002, when police burst into the Little Village home where he was staying and arrested him for the driveby shooting death of a 15-year-old girl.
Ochoa's suit claims a reputed gang member falsely identified him as the shooter, and that police beat him repeatedly until he signed a confession written in English, which he does not understand.
An appeals court twice overturned his convictions for the murder until prosecutors finally dismissed the charges in 2019, but not before Ochoa had spent almost 17 years behind bars.
Members of the City Council's Finance Committee are now being asked to approve a $9 million payment to settle Ochoa's lawsuit. The committee is set to meet on Monday to take preliminary action on the recommendation before it goes to the full Council on July 15.
Chicago's already approved more than $225 million in payments this year to settle police misconduct lawsuits, against a settlement budget of $82.5 million.
Federal suit claims officers beat man into confessing, lied on witness stand
Federal suit claims officers beat man into confessing, lied on witness stand
