Man who helped overturn wrongful convictions in Jeanine Nicarico's killing dead at 64
As someone who became a knowledgeable legal investigator after witnessing a miscarriage of justice, Randy Garrett unearthed information that helped overturn the death row convictions of two men in the 1983 killing of 10-year-old Jeanine Nicarico of Naperville and led to charges being dropped against a third man.
Several defense lawyers credited the encyclopedic knowledge Mr. Garrett acquired about the case with helping ultimately bring the truth to light. Three Aurora men had been charged: Stephen Buckley, Rolando Cruz and Alejandro Hernandez.
"Randy's dedication to justice for Cruz, Hernandez and Buckley was something to behold," said Rob Warden, former executive director of the Center on Wrongful Convictions at the Northwestern University School of Law. "Once he saw what was happening, he couldn't let go. It was inspirational."
Mr. Garrett died Monday in Florida of congestive heart failure. He was 64.
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