Sunday, April 9, 2017

Roberto Almodovar; Illinois; Bulletin: White Elephant Case: "Following a BuzzFeed News Investigation into a Chicago detective accused of framing at least 51 people, activists are calling for the release of Roberto Almodovar while some elected officials are calling for police reform."...Next hearing: Monday April 10, 2017. ..."Roberto Almodovar, 42, was convicted in 1995 on the testimony of two witnesses. One of those witnesses later recanted and swore under oath that Det. Reynaldo Guevara showed him pictures of Almodovar before the lineup, a breach of police protocol. Five people swear Almodovar was with them at the time of the crime. A city investigation in 2015 found that he is more than likely innocent. But to date, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has fought to keep him locked up. His next court hearing is Monday, April 10. Almodovar needs “to be freed,” said Aislinn Pulley, a Black Lives Matter Chicago organizer, who also called for other Guevara defendants to be released pending a full review. “And they need to be compensated for the years that have been taken from them,” she added. The BuzzFeed News investigation found that Guevara has been accused of manipulating lineups and coercing confessions in dozens of cases from the 1980s to the 2000s.".....Published April 6, 2017; Reporter Melissa Segura; BuzzFeed News Investigation; (Melissa Segura is an investigative fellow for BuzzFeed News)



Image result for "white elephant"

In the years since I started publishing this Blog I have become increasingly disturbed by the 'white elephant' in the room: Sheer, unadulterated, willful   misconduct in the criminal justice system - much  of it involving forensic evidence - committed by lab technicians,  pathologists, police officers, prosecutors and others.  Think Annie Dookhan; Think Sonia Farak; Think David Kofoed; Think Charles Smith; Think Ken Anderson; Think Gene Morrison. Think Michael West;   I have therefore decided to run this image of a white elephant at the top of every applicable post henceforth, to draw our reader's attention to   what I see as a major problem in all too many criminal justice system's - my own included.  Harold Levy; Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
"Reformers have for years recommended that all forensic labs be independent from law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies' and this is a key reform promoted by The Justice Project (2008). But fixing these problems is only half the answer' because half of the wrongful convictions attributed to misleading forensic evidence involved deliberate forensic fraud' evidence tampering' and/or perjury.
From "The Elephant in the Crime Lab," by co-authored by Sheila Berry and Larry Ytuarte; Forensic Examiner; Spring, 2009;

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"Following a BuzzFeed News investigation into a retired Chicago police detective accused of framing at least 51 people for murder, several Chicago community groups are demanding the immediate release of a man who has been held in prison for 23 years, despite having five alibi witnesses for the night he was accused of committing murder. Roberto Almodovar, 42, was convicted in 1995 on the testimony of two witnesses. One of those witnesses later recanted and swore under oath that Det. Reynaldo Guevara showed him pictures of Almodovar before the lineup, a breach of police protocol. Five people swear Almodovar was with them at the time of the crime. A city investigation in 2015 found that he is more than likely innocent. But to date, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has fought to keep him locked up. His next court hearing is Monday, April 10. Almodovar needs “to be freed,” said Aislinn Pulley, a Black Lives Matter Chicago organizer, who also called for other Guevara defendants to be released pending a full review. “And they need to be compensated for the years that have been taken from them,” she added. The BuzzFeed News investigation found that Guevara has been accused of manipulating lineups and coercing confessions in dozens of cases from the 1980s to the 2000s. Guevara has never been formally charged with wrongdoing, and a city investigation into the detective found no widespread pattern of misconduct, although it did conclude that four Guevara defendants still in prison were more than likely innocent, and that Guevara had likely committed misconduct in at least two cases. Guevara, now retired and receiving a full pension, declined repeated requests for comment. His attorney did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. They could not be reached Wednesday. In the last 17 years, at least five Guevara defendants have been exonerated, and several have received large payouts from the city. The BuzzFeed News investigation also found that top Chicago officials, including the mayor’s office and the state’s attorney’s office, had numerous warnings about Guevara, and plenty of chances to investigate the injustices he stands accused of committing but largely failed to take action......... “What happened to Robert Almodovar is appalling but unfortunately common in Chicago,” said state Sen. Omar Aquino, adding that to address such problems, he is backing a measure to extend the statute of limitations for victims of police abuse and coerced confessions. “The case of Robert Almodovar illustrates why it is important to continue to work for justice.”........Pulley, of Black Lives Matter Chicago, noted that what was most extraordinary about Almodovar’s story was perhaps just how ordinary it is. “None of this shocking. What’s frustrating is how normal it is.”"
https://www.buzzfeed.com/melissasegura/activists-call-for-release-of-man-locked-up-despite?utm_term=.wyBw1VRNw#.xgv7rAyP