Chicago Detective Accused Of Framing 51 People Defiantly Takes The Stand
Reynaldo Guevara
A Cook County Stateâs Attorney asked the detective   Reynaldo Guevara   74  to review police reports and testimony  he âd previously given in the case.  Guevara  refused  quickly flipping the pages and then handing them back.
Seated in the courtroom gallery were family members of 11 people who say  Guevara  framed them  and four more people whom  Guevara  helped put in prison but whose convictions have since been overturned.
âThis morning I prayed that maybe God would touch his heart and he would tell the truth â said Esther Hernandez  the mother of two sons who claim  Guevara  framed them in a 1997 murder.
âThatâs an acute case of amnesia â said Jose Montanez  who was exonerated last year of a 1993 murder after spending 23 years in prison.  Guevara  was one of the lead detectives on  his  case.
Since 2009  when a federal jury issued a record $21 million to a man whom  Guevara  was found to have framed  the retired detective has repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment and refused to testify.
But earlier this year Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx offered  Guevara  immunity in exchange for his testimony. His lawyers argued he would still be vulnerable to perjury charges.
Todayâs hearing was part of an appeal by two defendants  Gabriel Solache and Arturo Reyes  who say that  Guevara  beat confessions out of them. Prosecutors called  Guevara  to the stand to rebut that claim. Since he testified he didnât remember the case  prosecutors asked the court to allow  Guevaraâs  previous testimony from two court appearance in 2000.
âI hope people know how fucked up that is â said Jennifer Bonjean  an attorney representing other  Guevara  clients. âItâs pretty mindblowing that the state is literally vouching for the prior testimony when  Guevara  wonât  himself .â
An attorney for Solache  Karen Daniel  told the court that  Guevara  was âdisavowing  his  prior testimonyâ in the 2000 case and that  he âs essentially pleading the Fifth âunder a different guise.â
The state has called several other officers  prosecutors and medical personnel who were at the police station the night of the alleged beating. They testified that neither defendant complained of abuse. A paramedic called to the stand today testified he conducted medical evaluations of both defendants two days after  Guevara  allegedly beat them and didnât note signs of abuse.
In 2013  Chicago hired a law firm to conduct an independent investigation of allegations of misconduct by  Guevara . Those investigators rejected Solache and Reyesâs innocence claims but called the case against them âvery thin.â
A Cook County Stateâs Attorney asked the detective    [TGT]    74  to review police reports and testimony  he âd previously given in the case.   [TGT] refused  quickly flipping the pages and then handing them back.
Seated in the courtroom gallery were family members of 11 people who say   [TGT] framed them  and four more people whom   [TGT] helped put in prison but whose convictions have since been overturned.
âThis morning I prayed that maybe God would touch his heart and he would tell the truth â said Esther Hernandez  the mother of two sons who claim   [TGT] framed them in a 1997 murder.
âThatâs an acute case of amnesia â said Jose Montanez  who was exonerated last year of a 1993 murder after spending 23 years in prison.   [TGT] was one of the lead detectives on   [TGT]   case.
Since 2009  when a federal jury issued a record $21 million to a man whom   [TGT] was found to have framed  the retired detective has repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment and refused to testify.
But earlier this year Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx offered   [TGT] immunity in exchange for his testimony. His lawyers argued he would still be vulnerable to perjury charges.
Todayâs hearing was part of an appeal by two defendants  Gabriel Solache and Arturo Reyes  who say that   [TGT] beat confessions out of them. Prosecutors called  Guevara  to the stand to rebut that claim. Since he testified he didnât remember the case  prosecutors asked the court to allow  Guevaraâs  previous testimony from two court appearance in 2000.
âI hope people know how fucked up that is â said Jennifer Bonjean  an attorney representing other   [TGT] . âItâs pretty mindblowing that the state is literally vouching for the prior testimony when  Guevara  wonât  himself .â
An attorney for Solache  Karen Daniel  told the court that  Guevara  was âdisavowing  his  prior testimonyâ in the 2000 case and that  he âs essentially pleading the Fifth âunder a different guise.â
The state has called several other officers  prosecutors and medical personnel who were at the police station the night of the alleged beating. They testified that neither defendant complained of abuse. A paramedic called to the stand today testified he conducted medical evaluations of both defendants two days after   [TGT] allegedly beat them and didnât note signs of abuse.
In 2013  Chicago hired a law firm to conduct an independent investigation of allegations of misconduct by  [TGT]  . Those investigators rejected Solache and Reyesâs innocence claims but called the case against them âvery thin.â