On Tuesday, Cook County Judge Carol Howard overturned Tyrece Williams’s 1990 murder conviction, making him the 50th person exonerated in a case tied to disgraced former Chicago police detective Reynaldo Guevara.
The ruling, if it holds, could pave the way for Williams to secure a certificate of innocence.
Though Howard ruled in Williams’ favor, it remains unclear whether the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO) will appeal her decision. During the hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney Linda Walls requested a March 27 court date, which Howard granted.
“The fact that the State’s Attorney’s Office and Eileen Burke have decided to fight these cases suddenly is a profound it’s a repeating of Chicago’s dark history,” said Lyla Wasz-Piper of The Exoneration Project, one of Williams’ attorneys. “The State’s Attorney Office is continuing to perpetuate police misconduct.”
Guevara has been under investigation for torture and for coercing false confessions and evidence dating back to the 1980s and 1990s.
Wasz-Piper added that under Burke, the State’s Attorney’s Office now opposes all certificates of innocence—a sharp contrast to Burke’s predecessors Kim Foxx and Anita Alvarez. Both recognized that Guevara’s widespread misconduct, she explained.
“We are hopeful that the administration will shift and take a more appropriate stance in Guevara cases and other cases of misconduct,” Wasz-Piper. “Fighting innocence cases where there is known police misconduct does nothing to make Chicago safer. It does nothing to further justice.”
A CCSAO spokesperson told The TRiiBE in email that they evaluate certificates of innocence on a case-by-case basis. “The CCSAO is currently evaluating the next steps following today’s ruling in this case.”
Williams, who was wrongfully convicted of the 1990 murder of Peter Cruz in a Northwest Side neighborhood, spent 20 years in prison despite having an alibi and no evidence linking him to the crime. For 35 years, he has maintained his innocence and fought to clear his name.
“I got my name back,” Williams said. “My mama is dancing from her grave.”
He added that the long wait to clear his name felt like another prison sentence.
“It’s just like doing time. You just gotta wait. I sat there for 20 years and it became reality when the judge set me free,” he said.
Williams was released from prison in 2011 and, following today’s ruling, thanked his wife, children, attorneys, and others for their support. After Howard’s decision, the courtroom erupted in celebration as Williams shed tears and embraced his attorneys and family.
“My kids and my mama kept me grounded. My mama always brought my kids there and everything,” Williams said. He added that he raised his four children from prison.
“So they kept me grounding and just like now they keep me grounded,” Williams said. “I’ve been out working since I’ve been out. Ain’t been back to prison, ain’t been in police station. So when you got good surroundings, it makes it makes everything better.”
During today’s hearing, Howard explained her reasoning for vacating the murder conviction, referencing the testimony of Wilfredo Torres one of the witnesses. In a January 2025 hearing, Torres, who was 15 at the time, alleged that Guevara punched him in the stomach and threatened to pin a case on him if he didn’t identify Williams as the shooter.
Torres said he told Guevara he never the person who’d shot Cruz.
“Mr. Torres was a scared 15-year-old and was intimidated by Guevara’s actions,” Howard said.
She added that it was troubling that when Guevara was questioned about this case and others, “and when asked he had engaged in any misconduct, he asserted his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.”
Williams is the latest exoneree in a series of wrongful convictions tied to Guevara, former police detective Jon Burge, and former police sergeant Ronald Watts. To date, the city has paid money nearly $100 million to defend, investigate and settle misconduct cases involving Guevara. He retired from CPD in 2005 and lives in Texas according to a WTTW news report.
“I got my whole family and friends here who came up to support me that’s all I needed,” Williams said.
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