advertisement

Jury awards $80,000 to wrongfully convicted man

A federal jury has awarded $80,000 to a Chicago man who spent 18 years behind bars for a double murder before he was retried and acquitted. The award is a fraction of what he was seeking.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported the award was announced days after jurors determined a former Chicago police sergeant fabricated evidence against former death row inmate Nathson Fields, or withheld evidence that could exonerate him.

Fields' attorneys suggested Fields deserved $1 million for every year he was locked up. Fields on Thursday called the award a "travesty' and urged U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon to investigate. A spokesman for Fardon's office declined to comment.

Fields was convicted in 1986 of killing two rival gang members. He was released in 2003 and acquitted in a 2009 retrial.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.