June 11, 2024
In 2011, Chicagoan Darien Harris was convicted of murder in connection with a fatal shooting on Chicago’s south side, and was sentenced to serve 76 years in prison. Nearly thirteen years later, he has been released.
It turns out that the conviction was based, in part, on the eyewitness testimony of a man who was, well, legally blind. He had severe glaucoma and could barely see.
Harris’ release was the product of the work of the University of Chicago Law School’s Exoneration Project. Since 2009, the program has obtained exonerations for over 200 people. About 150 of the convictions were tied to former Chicago police Sgt. Ronald Watts, who regularly framed people for drug crimes they didn’t commit. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said in December 2022 that 237 convictions vacated in recent years were linked to Watts and his unit.