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For Immediate Release | |||||
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on the American criminal Justice System Lake Forest, Ill.-Former death row inmate Aaron Patterson, will speak about his experiences with the American criminal justice system at Lake Forest College on Thursday, April 15 at 7 p.m. in McCormick Auditorium, located in the Johnson Science Center on the College’s Middle Campus. The public is welcome to attend. There is no charge for the event. Aaron Patterson was sentenced to death in 1989 for the stabbing death of an elderly couple who lived on the South Side of Chicago. The prosecution's case rested primarily on a verbal confession supposedly obtained by a group of South Side Police officers. At the time Patterson alleged that he had been tortured by the police officers and maintained that he was innocent. Later information came to light that this group of police officers had engaged in torture practices with many different suspects and over a number of years. Patterson's lawyer's eventually filed a petition with the Illinois Prison Review Board requesting a pardon for Patterson based on innocence. On January 10, 2003, Governor George Ryan granted that request and Patterson was set free. Currently Mr. Patterson is a community activist and is running for state representative for the sixth district. Lake Forest College is a private, liberal arts institution located 30 miles north of downtown Chicago. The College has 1,300 students representing 46 states and 50 other countries.
04/0408 |
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