In a move that puts a price tag on decades of injustice, the Cook County Board has approved a $17 million settlement for Jackie Wilson, a man wrongfully convicted of murdering two Chicago police officers in 1982. As reported by the Chicago Tribune, this sum is set to resolve Wilson's civil rights lawsuit, which alleges that former Cook County assistant state’s attorneys framed him for crimes his brother committed.
The hefty settlement follows a harrowing saga that spanned more than three decades, with Wilson facing wrongful imprisonment and alleged torture at the hands of Chicago police officers. Despite the payout, the County has not admitted any wrongdoing. In what is seen as an attempt to limit financial risk and possible larger expenses to the taxpayer, this step comes even as a lawsuit against some Chicago officers continues in federal court, according to WTTW News.
The wrongful conviction stemmed from the 1982 slayings of Officers William Fahey and Richard O’Brien. Jackie Wilson, who was 21 at the time of the incident, was pinned down with a murder charge although his brother Andrew was the shooter. Wilson, now 63, maintained that he did not participate in the killing and had no knowledge of his brother's intentions. After a third trial in 2020 and the dismissal of charges, Wilson was granted a certificate of innocence.
Amid the saga, Wilson has claimed that he was subjected to torture - specifically, beatings and electroshock - by officers under the command of Jon Burge, an Area 2 commander who later gained notoriety for leading a group of officers in torturing suspects. This brutal chapter in Chicago's history has cost the city over $130 million in settlements and judgments, with $5.5 million in reparations approved in 2015 alone, as mentioned by the Chicago Tribune.
The shadow of this torture and Wilson's subsequent trials have left an indelible mark not just on Wilson’s life but also on the public conscience. With the civil lawsuit pending, Wilson's legal team has urged the Chicago Police Department to follow the county's lead and settle, potentially saving city legal expenses and the risk of a significant jury award. Ongoing criminal cases against Nicholas Trutenko and Andrew Horvat, former assistant state’s attorneys involved in Wilson's third trial, are dangling in the balance of appellate court decisions.
Despite the settlement, there are voices of dissent. Kelly O'Brien, niece to the slain officer Richard O’Brien and about five years old at the time of the murder, expressed her disapproval and highlighted the enduring anguish her family has experienced. "Are you kidding me?" O'Brien told the Tribune, reacting to the settlement news. "I have no sympathy or pity for this man at all. Oh my gosh … it makes me sick. $17 million? And here my family has suffered all these years."
