Chicago shooting: Alexander Villa’s conviction overturned and charges dropped in 2011 killing of CPD officer Clifton Lewis

CHICAGO (WLS) — A man convicted of killing a Chicago police officer in 2011 had his conviction overturned by a judge Wednesday.

Alexander Villa was one of three defendants charged with the murder of Clifton Lewis and the only one still incarcerated.

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The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office dropped its case against Villa on Wednesday, making him the third defendant whose case was dropped in the officer’s 2011 killing.

Villa asked a judge to overturn his life sentence, handed down just over a year ago, based on allegations that prosecutors hid crucial evidence that would have proven his innocence.

The alleged misconduct prompted prosecutors to drop charges against Villa’s co-defendants, Edgardo Colon and Tyrone Clay, last year, nearly 12 years after the men’s arrest.

A large group of Villa’s family and friends attended Wednesday’s criminal court hearing at 26th Street and California Avenue in support. Everyone wore matching shirts.

Cheers erupted in the lobby of the Leighton Cook County Criminal Courthouse Wednesday afternoon, as Villa’s friends and family celebrated the decision.

Nearly 11 years after Villa was first incarcerated, charged and then convicted, he will soon be a free man.

“There are two victims in this situation. You have a person who was wrongly incarcerated for something they didn’t do. And you have a family who is suffering from the loss of a loved one. No one wins,” Villa’s sister Melissa said.

On the other side, a group of police officers from the Fraternal Order of Police were also present at the hearing.

The murdered Chicago police officer, 41, was working as a security guard at a West Side convenience store on Dec. 29, 2011, when he was shot and killed while trying to prevent an armed robbery.

He was working his second job to save for his upcoming wedding.

Villa, Colon and Clay were arrested within a week. But their records were marred by irregularities from the start. Defense attorneys accused police and prosecutors of coercing confessions, fabricating evidence and ignoring an FBI-generated map of cell towers that Villa’s attorney showed Wednesday after court.

“This is where the crime took place. The men are listed everywhere except where the crime took place. They were not together all day,” said Villa’s attorney, Jennifer Blagg.

Villa’s sentence was overturned because of what prosecutors said in court was potentially exculpatory evidence found after the conviction. Lawyers representing Lewis’ family denounce the decision.

“If in fact he is innocent, or if his trial was unfair, then let’s have a new trial. But instead, we’re just going to let him walk out of the courthouse,” said attorney Tim Grace.

The state’s attorney’s office would not comment on what the potentially exculpatory evidence was.

Lewis’ sister said it all seemed unfair and unfair to their family. She asked: If these three men didn’t kill her brother, who did?

The officer’s family now wants their case to be taken up again to find out who killed Clifton Lewis.

The question now is whether Villa can be re-indicted.

“The winner of the race for State’s Attorney, who we hope is Judge O’Neil Burke, absolutely must publicly commit to re-indicting and retrying this case as soon as she takes office. In the case otherwise, she will not have the support of the FOP,” declared FOP President John Catanzara.

Villa is being held in the Lawrence Correctional Center. His lawyer said he probably would not be released until Thursday.

In a statement released Wednesday, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said: “After the conviction of Alexander Villa for the murder of Officer Clifton Lewis in 2011, our office discovered evidence that was not previously or timely provided to the defense. This information is potentially exculpatory, material and relevant to a jury’s evaluation of the case, and therefore we are obligated to agree to vacate this conviction and dismiss the charges. We recognize the pain and frustration this causes the family. Officer Lewis, who deserves to be remembered for his dedicated service to the Chicago Police Department and the City of Chicago rather than for the procedural errors that marred our pursuit of justice and accountability. , prosecutors have a responsibility not only to provide justice to the injured, but also to uphold the constitutional rights of the accused. In this case, we are actively working to learn from the chain of events that. have brought us to this point so we can make the necessary improvements to our systems and ensure this doesn’t happen again. »