Judge tosses 1992 murder conviction of Madeline Mendoza, linked to disgraced CPD Det. Reynaldo Guevara
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A judge has vacated a woman's murder conviction tied to disgraced Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara.
Madeline Mendoza was convicted along with two co-defendants of the 1992 murders of Jimmy Cruz and Hector Reyes in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. She was 16 at the time.
Court records indicate that prosecutors said Mendoza and two co-defendants were part of the Maniac Latin Disciples street gang – and had gone out to shoot some members of the rival Latin Kings gang in retribution for another murder.
Mendoza spent 17 years in prison for the conviction. Her attorneys argued Guevara and Detective Ernest Halvorsen made up a story that Mendoza took part in the killings.
Dozens of convictions linked to Guevara have been vacated in recent years – including seven last August.