Illinois prison officials say an alleged Chicago police torture victim is to be released two months after an appeals court vacated his 1990 robbery and murder conviction.
The Illinois Department of Corrections says 46-year-old Shawn Whirl is to be released Wednesday afternoon from Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg. He was convicted in 1991 and served nearly 25 years of a 60-year prison term.
Whirl alleged he was tortured into confessing by a detective who worked under disgraced former Chicago police commander Jon Burge.An appeals court threw out Whirl's conviction in August and a Cook County judge dismissed all charges on Tuesday. The Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission also ruled that Whirl's conviction was coerced.
Whirl's attorneys say he said he feels "relieved, but also nervous because this feels surreal."
