‘Severely Irrational and Unjust’: Chicago Judge Won’t Overturn Black Man’s Murder Conviction Despite ‘Powerful Evidence’ of His Innocence

An Illinois man recently received a major blow in his fight to clear his name and get released from prison, even though evidence points to significant flaws in the case against him. In Cook County last month, Judge Angela Petrone refused to overturn Kevin Jackson’s conviction, which is connected to a gang-related shooting that happened in 2001. Now 42, Jackson, who was 19 at the time, was accused of gunning down Ernest Jenkins at a Citgo gas station near the Back of the Yards and West Englewood neighborhoods. There was no physical evidence that put Jackson at the scene, but four witnesses signed statements written by the detectives naming Jackson. Kevin Jackson is currently incarcerated in an Illinois prison for a crime he says he didn’t commit. (Photo: YouTube screenshot/ CBS News Chicago) Jackson was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm, court documents show.& At issue is a special prosecutors’ report that found significant flaws in the case against Jackson. Jackson’s cousin, Manuel Stewart, who was one of the witnesses, later recanted and said he was beaten and bullied into signing the statement, according to CBS News Chicago. By the time of the trial in 2003,...