Survivors seek conviction overturns in cases tied to disgraced Chicago police detective

CHICAGO - Seven survivors of a disgraced Chicago police detective have filed petitions to overturn their convictions.

Collectively, these seven men served 113 and a half years for crimes they say they did not commit.

All the men have completed their sentences and are out of custody. They say they are innocent and believe they were wrongfully convicted.

Reynaldo Guevara is accused of framing more than 70 people for murders they did not commit, allegedly beating suspects and witnesses into confessions.

Guevara has refused to defend any of his own investigations, taking the Fifth Amendment when asked about any of the cases.

"We implore the state's attorney to right these wrongs. The first step in doing that is agreeing to vacate these convictions, and we are confident that when she reviews these cases, she will see that these men and all Guevara victims deserve justice," said an employee of the Exoneration Project.

"As an innocent man and still mentally in prison, I promise myself to never give up and pray one day that I see the city recognize me as an innocent man to make the Guevara wrong, a right. So then I can make a better life for me and my family since I was stripped away of years of my life for something that I did not do," one of the survivors added.

The Exoneration Project says at least 44 murder convictions in cases investigated by Detective Guevara have been overturned.