Dec 4, 2007 10:05 am US/Central
Alleged Burge Police Torture Victim Freed
James Andrews' Conviction Was Thrown Out Due To Torture
CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) ―
After being locked up for nearly a quarter century, James Andrews is a free man.
Andrews, 45, made history in October when a Cook County judge threw out his murder convictions because of alleged torture by detectives working under former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge.
Judge Thomas Sumner did not free Andrews, though. Instead, he ordered a new trial and set Andrews' bond at $300,000.
One of Andrews' three sisters said it would be difficult for his family to post the 10 percent -- or $30,000 -- needed to free him. But since then, "his family got together the bail money," said Andrews' lawyer Scott Schutte.
"He spent Thanksgiving with his family for the first time in 25 years," Schutte said.
Andrews had been in custody since April 26, 1983, when police brought him in to question him about a dog fight. His lawyers allege he was then chained to a steel ring, punched and beaten with a flashlight. During the interrogation, Andrews confessed to two murders.
In July 2006, a four-year inquiry determined officers under Burge tortured suspects at Area 2 police headquarters. Andrews' case marked the first time a judge in Cook County Criminal Court threw out a conviction because of the alleged torture.
The Illinois Attorney General's office has yet to say whether it will retry Andrews for the murders. Sumner found that the confessions were the only significant evidence linking him to the crimes. Andrews is due in court Tuesday.
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(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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