Even as the Cook County prosecutor asserts that two individuals are guilty of a violent double murder, Chicago taxpayers may soon give them $13.75 million to settle their police misconduct lawsuits. This decision follows advancements in a pair of agreements on Monday by the City Council Finance Committee.
The agreements aim to resolve lawsuits filed by Gabriel Solache and Arturo DeLeon-Reyes. The lawsuits claim former Detective Reynaldo Guevara coerced false confessions from them through deception and physical abuse. Guevara was seen covering his face as he exited the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on June 7, 2018.
In 2000, Solache and DeLeon-Reyes were convicted of a brutal double murder and kidnapping. They received certificates of innocence, similar to several other individuals investigated by the discredited Guevara. The two were found guilty of fatally stabbing Mariano Soto, 43, his wife Jacinta, 35, and kidnapping their two children. According to initial prosecutorial claims, the motive was a woman’s desire to acquire a child.
Adriana Mejia, accused of orchestrating the attack to steal the couple’s 2-month-old daughter, serves a life sentence. Mejia, reportedly related to DeLeon-Reyes and an acquaintance of Solache, purportedly feigned pregnancy. Mejia initially implicated DeLeon-Reyes in stabbing the victims but excluded Solache, as noted by Law Department attorney Jessica Felker. However, DeLeon-Reyes later implicated Solache.
The suspicious circumstances surrounding the obtained confessions led to their eventual conviction reversals. DeLeon-Reyes and Solache accused Guevara of manufacturing false confessions in English and claimed they suffered head blows and lengthy 42-hour interrogations. Guevara’s reputation for similar actions across numerous cases invalidates their written confessions as evidence, Felker explained.
“There is no physical evidence linking Solache and DeLeon-Reyes to the crime. Blood found on Adriana’s shoes and trousers matched one of the victims,” Felker stated.
While Mejia continues to assert that Solache and DeLeon-Reyes participated in the crime, she also alleges that Guevara was abusive during interrogations. In 2017, a judge dismissed Solache and DeLeon-Reyes’s convictions, labeling Guevara’s statements as “bald-faced lies.” Days later, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office retracted the charges.
Despite the court findings, Foxx claimed in a deposition that she believed in their guilt, though she acknowledged that Guevara’s credibility issues restricted her actions. Facing approximately 40 additional Guevara-related cases, aldermen expressed concerns over the anticipated financial burden on taxpayers while approving the two settlements through a voice vote. Should the settlements receive City Council approval in the upcoming week, Solache is set to receive $6 million and DeLeon-Reyes $7.75 million.
Some aldermen advocated for a comprehensive “global settlement” to address most outstanding cases, a strategy previously employed by Johnson’s administration to manage costs from other policing controversies.
Additionally, the committee forwarded a $6 million settlement for the family of Michael A. Jordan. The 27-year-old was fatally struck by a vehicle evading the police. The lawsuit contested police non-compliance with car chase protocols, leading to the collision with a CTA bus stop, which resulted in Jordan’s death.
Another settlement of $225,000 was proposed for Lorenzo Williams. He alleged excessive force was used during his arrest after being caught on camera with a firearm. During resistance, an officer reportedly struck him thrice with a police radio while officers restrained him. After the arrest, a loaded firearm was retrieved from his waistband, and Williams pled guilty to unlawful possession, receiving a three-year sentence and currently on parole. The Finance Committee narrowly approved this settlement with an 18-to-13 vote, marking an unusual close decision for such cases.