Description
In 1983, Anthony Porter was sentenced to death for the murders of teenagers Jerry Hillard and Marilyn Green in Chicago's Washington Park. In 1998, a group of university students re-investigated the case, and seemingly found the real killer, Alstory Simon. Simon confessed to the crimes, and Porter was released and pardoned; his harrowing ordeal shook the public's confidence in the justice system and led the Governor to vacate the sentences of all Illinois death row inmates. Soon after his confession, Simon accepted a plea bargain and began serving a 37 year sentence for the killings. He later claimed that he was coerced into the confession by overzealous journalists, students, and lawyers who sought to use him simply as a tool in order to achieve their true goal of abolishing the death penalty in Illinois. A MURDER IN THE PARK's investigation provides a fascinating glimpse into a very broken criminal justice system and re-examines one of the most pivotal conviction reversals in American history.
In 1983, Anthony Porter was sentenced to death for the murders of teenagers Jerry Hillard and Marilyn Green in Chicago's Washington Park. In 1998, a group of university students re-investigated the case, and seemingly found the real killer, Alstory Simon. Simon confessed to the crimes, and Porter was released and pardoned; his harrowing ordeal shook the public's confidence in the justice system and led the Governor to vacate the sentences of all Illinois death row inmates. Soon after his confession, Simon accepted a plea bargain and began serving a 37 year sentence for the killings. He later claimed that he was coerced into the confession by overzealous journalists, students, and lawyers who sought to use him simply as a tool in order to achieve their true goal of abolishing the death penalty in Illinois. A MURDER IN THE PARK's investigation provides a fascinating glimpse into a very broken criminal justice system and re-examines one of the most pivotal conviction reversals in American history.
