Daniel Ochoa
On October 23, 2019, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office dismissed all charges against Daniel Ochoa, ending a nearly 17-year wrongful imprisonment. Mr. Ochoa had been arrested in December 2002 for the murder of 15-year-old Marilu Socha in Chicago, a crime he did not commit.
The case against Ochoa was built primarily on coerced statements from three gang-affiliated co-defendants—Arturo Simon, Arturo Bentazos, and Eduardo Torres—who were threatened, misled, and denied access to counsel during police interrogations. Ochoa, a Mexican national and day laborer with no gang affiliation, was physically assaulted by detectives and coerced into signing a confession he could not read. Despite inconsistencies and lack of corroborating evidence, Ochoa was convicted in 2005 and sentenced to 90 years.
His first two convictions were overturned by the First District Illinois Appellate Court due to the introduction of inadmissible hearsay from co-defendants implicating Ochoa. For his third trial, attorneys Jennifer Bonjean and Steven Greenberg uncovered recantations from co-defendants and testimony from a witness confirming that Ochoa had been assaulted during his arrest. They also documented Detective Jose Lopez’s extensive history of misconduct, including over 50 citizen complaints for coercion, harassment, and abuse of suspects.
In September 2019, Judge Carol Howard granted a motion to suppress Ochoa’s coerced confession. Subsequently, the prosecution dismissed the charges, and Ochoa was released. He later obtained a certificate of innocence, making him eligible for state compensation.
Mr. Harrison was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries. His eyes were bruised and swollen shut, his neck was swollen, he had deep lacerations and his left leg was torn by the K-9 attack. This attack left Mr. Harrison with scarring and both permanent physical and mental trauma. While Harrison plead guilty to eluding police, all other charges against him were dismissed.
The Bonjean Law Firm represented Mr. Harrison in his civil case against the City of Atlanta. Bonjean Law has persistently represented victims of police brutality, hoping to both help victims such as Mr. Harrison and highlight the vast misconduct of police officers. Following only one week of trial, the City decided to settle for $700,000. As Jennifer Bonjean said at the time “We are very pleased to secure some level of justice for our deserving client… But after a week of trial, it is clear that Atlantic City’s police department still has a lot of self-improvement left to do.”