Woman freed after serving 19 years for murder illinoistimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from illinoistimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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A woman found guilty of a McHenry County murder had her conviction vacated last week after serving 19 years of her 27-year sentence and maintaining her innocence throughout her imprisonment.
With the help of the lawyers from the Illinois Innocence Project, Jennifer McMullan was released from prison June 16 as a result of a plea agreement entered in McHenry County court.
McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally’s plea deal to grant McMullan’s release and vacate her murder conviction depended on if she agreed to plead guilty to an armed robbery charge in the case.
Stephanie Kamel, one of McMullan’s attorneys at IIP, said her client faced an extremely difficult decision of whether to accept a plea to a lesser charge or remain wrongfully imprisoned for years to come.
Woman convicted as getaway driver in 2001 Burrito Express murder released from prison dailyherald.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailyherald.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Man finally released after McHenry murder conviction overturned 3 times Kenneth Smith, 45, puts his arm around attorney David Jimenez-Ekman after walking out of Lawrence Correctional Center in Sumner on Thursday. A federal appeals court last week affirmed Smith s exoneration, but McHenry County police and prosecutors still believe he is guilty of murder. Corryn Brock for Shaw Media Kenneth Smith, 45, walks out of Lawrence Correctional Center in Sumner on Thursday with members of the law firm Jenner & Block of Chicago, who helped secure his release after serving nearly 20 years for the 2001 murder of Raul Briseno. Corryn Brock for Shaw Media Raul Briseno
Updated 4/29/2021 4:49 PM
Kenneth Smith, who has served nearly 20 years of a 67-year prison sentence for the 2001 murder of a McHenry restaurant owner, was granted immediate release from prison Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh District said in its ruling.
Smith, 45, who is being held at Lawrence Correctional Center in Sumner, had been convicted three times of armed robbery and first-degree murder of Raul Briseno, the 34-year-old owner of Burrito Express.
He won appeals on each of his convictions and following the first two appeals, was tried again, resulting in another conviction and the resentencing of 67 years in prison.