CHICAGO (CBS)—The longest serving acquitted man in Illinois history is expected to file a lawsuit Tuesday.
In 1981, Jimmy Soto was tried and convicted of a double murder. He was released last December, making state history.
Lawyers will file a federal lawsuit on Soto’s behalf.
They are expected to seek damages for the wrongful imprisonment of dozens of Chicago police officers, three Cook County Assistant State Attorneys, Cook County and the city of Chicago.
Soto’s 1981 case
Soto, 62, and his cousin David Ayala, 60, were tried and convicted before a single jury in the Aug. 16, 1981, shooting death of Julie Limas and Hector Valeriano at Pietrowksi Park at 31st Street and Keeler Avenue. Valeriano was a U.S. Marine home on leave, according to court records.
There was no physical evidence linking the cousins ​​to the double murder, and they never confessed to any involvement. Attorneys for Soto and Ayala said the men were convicted almost exclusively on the basis of coerced testimony.
But they were convicted and jailed for 42 years.
