(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The lawyer for a convicted man who sought to clear his name in a 1988 murder promises to continue the fight, even though the inmate died earlier this week.
Ronald Kliner died Monday in prison. An official cause has not been released.
A Cook County judge had planned on Oct. 29 to issue a ruling on whether defense attorneys presented enough evidence to clear Kliner of the 1988 murder of Dana Rinaldi — or whether he would get a new trial.
His defense attorney, Lindsay Hagy said Tuesday that Kliner's death likely takes the case out of the judge's hands. She said she’s asking the governor to clear his name with a posthumous pardon.
Hagy said it’s important to follow through for the sake of Kliner’s family and because it could help the cases of other Illinois inmates who say they were wrongfully convicted.
“There’s many people who love Mr. Kliner and have fought for his innocence and his freedom alongside him for over 30 years who do not want to accept that this fight is over,” Hagy said.
Kliner was convicted of killing Rinaldi, 28, outside her Palatine Township home in what authorities said was a murder for hire. Kliner had said there was no DNA evidence linking him to the crime and that he had an alibi.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Ronald Kliner's cause of death has not been determined.
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