City of Chicago, IL

Chicago - In July 2000, Corethian Bell, who suffers from a mental illness, found his murdered mother in her apartment and called police to report the crime. Bell was charged with murder and gave a videotaped confession. He spent 17 months in Cook County Jail before the Cook County State's Attorney's office dropped the charge after DNA evidence proved Bell's innocence. The MacArthur Justice Center and Mandel Legal Aid Clinic filed a lawsuit on behalf of Bell and claimed the videotaped confession was coerced by more than 50 hours of interrogation in which he repeatedly denied the crime. The lawsuit claimed the interrogation included psychological manipulation, violations of established interrogation procedures, abusive and hostile questioning, and physical assault. A $1 million settlement with Chicago Police has been reached. (Oct-10-06) [CHICAGO SUN TIMES: COERCED CONFESSION]

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