Man freed after serving 21 years for murder after witness recants

[me]

Man freed after serving 21 years for murder after witness recants
BY RUMMANA HUSSAIN Criminal Courts Reporter rhussain@suntimes.com October 4, 2011 1:26PM

Updated: October 4, 2011 1:49PM


A Humboldt Park man who spent more than two decades behind bars will be freed Tuesday after the sole witness in the case recanted.
Cook County Judge Neera Lall Walsh last month ordered a new trial for Jacques Rivera, who was serving an 80-year sentence for the 1988 slaying of Felix Valentin.
On Tuesday, prosecutors said they would not re-try Rivera and recommended that the charges be dropped.
“Mr. Rivera, you’re released,” Walsh told him.
Rivera, 46, cried and hugged his lawyers as his family looked on.
His family, who filled three benches in Walsh’s courtroom also cried and hugged one another after the brief hearing.
“Wow. Just wow,” Rivera’s ex-wife, Sophia Matarazzo, said after the hearing.
Rivera’s three adult children were also at the hearing. Rivera’s son, Richard, who was 5 when his father went to jail, said he would love to meet witness Orlanda Lopez.
“I want to give him a hug,” Richard Rivera said.
Lopez — who was 12 at the time of Valentin’s murder — identified Jacques Rivera in a line-up and testified against him during the original trial. But Lopez recently admitted he had fingered the wrong man.
According to Rivera’s attorneys, Lopez saw the real shooter a week after he identified Rivera as the killer. Lopez claims he told authorities that information, but they didn’t believe him, a legal petition filed in the case said. Police at the time thought Lopez was recanting because he was afraid of gang retaliation, and Lopez said he decided to stand behind his original claims that Rivera was the murderer, the petition said. Valentin had identified two other men as being involved in his killing before he died.

[rottiemama2003]

Just as long as they get a conviction...I am glad the witness kept trying to clear the record... happy for his children.


Rottie

[Mrs. G]

  I can only imagine the feelings in that court room when the judge said “Mr. Rivera, you’re released,”  i got chills just reading it.. I am sure it was a memorable moment for them all!

[Amanda.Marks]

Wow that is an amazing story! I'm happy to see that after 21 years, he still had so many people standing behind him!

[me]

I am so happy for him and his children   

[pats]

The story about Jacques Rivera boosts the moral and hopes of other wrongfully convicted people in our Illinois prisons.  Those who can use DNA to prove their innocence are the lucky ones.  All who have absolutely no evidence and only the lies of some who have reasons to lie are the ones who have the hardest time proving their innocence.  Rivera was one of those.  The Appellate courts have to pay more attention when witnesses recant.  I read a Boston Law school report saying there are many cases where the witnesses recanted and the judge did not believe them.  Later, DNA proved the person was truly guilty.  In some cases the State still doesn not want to admit they were ever wrong - even when DNA show someone else committed the crime.  The judicial system in Illinois is truly broken.