The civil trial of a former Chicago police detective, accused of framing a man convicted in a 1988 slaying, began in a federal courtroom on Tuesday.
The lawsuit, filed by Jacques Rivera, accuses now-retired CPD Det. Reynaldo Guevara of coercing a witness into identifying Rivera as the gunman.
That witness, who was 12 years old at the time, later recanted his testimony - but not before Rivera was convicted and sentenced to 80 years in prison in 1990.
In 2011, a judge ordered a new trial for Rivera, prompting prosecutors to drop his conviction and enabling his release.
Meanwhile, Guevara has been accused of misconduct leading to wrongful convictions in at least 17 other cases.
While Guevara has not been charged with any crimes, 12 of the 18 men have filed lawsuits against him, the department and the City.
The only other lawsuit to go to trial before Rivera's was in 2009, when a jury awarded Juan Johnson $21 million. Johnson was retried and acquitted after witnesses testified that Guevara intimidated them into identifying him as the suspect in a shooting.
Local
Guevara has repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment on the witness stand, refusing to answer questions so as not to self-incriminate. He's likely to do the same during Rivera's trial, which was expected to last roughly three weeks.
Tuesday's jury selection marked the beginning of the trial, which could have wide-ranging impacts when it comes to other cases and their potential payouts.
