Francisco ‘Frankie’ Benitez to be taught if prosecutors will drop prices after conviction, sentence in double homicide vacated

CHICAGO (WLS) — A wrongfully convicted man who spent 34-years in jail will be taught Tuesday if prosecutors will drop the fees.

Final month, a Cook dinner County choose vacated the conviction of Francisco Benitez for the 1989 homicide of two teenagers.

RELATED: Chicago man free after 34 years in jail after Cook dinner County choose vacates conviction, sentence

If prosecutors resolve to not drop the fees, Benitez might be re-tried.

He has at all times maintained his innocence.

Francisco Benitez was convicted in September of 1991. He was arrested when he was simply 18 years outdated, however maintained his innocence, saying that he had an alibi, and was being framed by Chicago Police Division detectives.

Benitez’s attorneys mentioned he was convicted partially on a confession coerced by Space 5 detectives. Legal professionals with the Exoneration Venture and a personal agency took on his case.

At an evidentiary listening to in April, attorneys for Benitez offered new eyewitness proof, saying he did not shoot the kids.

“The third man to have a conviction vacated and are available dwelling based mostly on actions they took as law enforcement officials to border harmless males,” mentioned Anand Swaminathan, with Loevy & Loevy.

Benitez’s advocates mentioned a former gang models officer got here ahead admitting in courtroom that he by no means believed Benitez was the fitting suspect.

Two eyewitnesses to the crime who at the moment are adults mentioned Benitez did not commit the murders and that they did not come ahead earlier as a result of their mom informed them to not say something about what they’d seen.