CHICAGO (CBS)— A Chicago man who spent more than 40 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit is now suing Chicago police, Cook County prosecutors, and the city of Chicago.
Jimmy Soto’s attorneys say he’s seeking damages from the agencies who failed him.
In 1981, Soto and his cousin, David Ayala, were convicted of a double murder in Little Village.
Last December, 11 days before Christmas, a judge exonerated them and set them free. The two are believed to be the two longest-serving wrongfully convicted people in Illinois state history.
On Tuesday, Soto plans to file a federal lawsuit against dozens of Chicago police officers, three Cook County assistant state’s attorneys, Cook County, and Chicago.
Soto’s 1981 case
Soto, 62, and Ayala, 60, were convicted almost entirely based on coerced witness testimonies, according to their attorneys. There was no physical evidence that tied the cousins to the double murder, and they never confessed to any involvement.