Antonio McDowell, 49, has been out of prison since 2020 when Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker granted him clemency.
After 28 years, he is completely free — following a judge’s decision Monday morning.
McDowell’s lawyers said he was sentenced to 103 years in prison after being framed for murder by the now-retired disgraced Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara.
The word McDowell used to explain his feelings following the decision.
“I’m so overwhelmed right now,” he said.
McDowell was surrounded by family, friends, and attorneys outside the Cook County Courthouse, where, after 28 years and a wrongful conviction, he said he finally walks free.
“I ain’t think this moment would come, but I was always hopeful for this moment,” McDowell said.
For years, McDowell was represented and supported by attorneys with The Exoneration Project and the civil rights law firm Loevy and Loevy. Now, McDowell is the 51st person exonerated in a case investigated by Guevara.
While Guevara has never been charged, the CBS News Chicago investigators for years dug into the accusations of Guevara coercing false confessions as far back as the 1980s.
“I just want you to know, if you run into a Guevara, stand your ground,” McDowell said. “Justice will prevail.”
In this case, McDowell walked into CPD’s Grand Central Area Headquarters, at 5555 W. Grand Ave., in July of 1997 after he had been shot. He never left.
While there, McDowell and his attorneys said Guevara tried to get him to falsely identify Guevara’s chosen suspect in the shooting. When McDowell refused to falsely identify someone else, they say he went from being a victim of a shooting to being framed as the perpetrator in an unrelated murder. Convicted, he served 23 years before he was granted clemency.
“That was Antonio McDowell’s crime! Trying to do the right thing,” said attorney Anand Swaminathan. “It’s sick.”
While his murder conviction was thrown out when he was exonerated, prosecutors maintain a carjacking conviction related to the murder charge remains on his record, meaning he could be retried.
Last month, a judge issued a decision vacating the carjacking conviction, emphasizing McDowell’s account of going from victim-to-suspect, and Guevara’s undeniable pattern of misconduct. Prosecutors dropped the charge on Monday.
“There’s always a way out. Don’t lose hope. Stay connected to your people, to your support team,” McDowell said.