SUMMARY

In July 1998, Tony Gonzalez was falsely accused of a shooting in Chicago that killed one person and wounded two others. Gonzalez, who had no ties to the crime, was identified in suggestive lineups and eyewitness testimony that was later proven unreliable. Despite alibi testimony and the absence of physical evidence, Gonzalez was convicted in 1999 and sentenced to 42 years in prison.

Years later, the Bonjean Law Group investigated the case, uncovering a pattern of misconduct by Detectives Reynaldo Guevara and Ernest Halvorsen, including coaching witnesses and manipulating identifications. Expert analysis confirmed the eyewitness identifications were flawed. On August 28, 2023, the Cook County State’s Attorney vacated Gonzalez’s convictions, and on January 23, 2024, the charges were dismissed, ending more than 24 years of wrongful imprisonment.