Narrator (3:56)

Alex's supporters walk through the courtroom's imposing wood doors to take their seats below towering windows overlooking the city. Over the last decade, I've been to more court hearings than I can count, Most of them for people wrongly convicted. Those hearings are usually full of anticipation, like an eagerness for what will happen. But this time, this is pure tension, a nervousness about what could happen. On one side of the courtroom is a sea of those T shirts with Alex's face on them. On the other, a flank of police officers whooshes in to fill up the seats. They leave room up front for officer Lewis sister Nicole Johnson. Judge Carol Howard calls the case to order. Before anyone else could speak, an attorney representing the family of Officer Clifton Lewis introduces himself. James McKay, or Mad Dog as veterans of the courthouse call him. The name alone has been enough to send shivers down the spines of Chicago defense attorneys. For 30 years, McKay prosecuted some of the city's most high profile cases. Chicago magazine named him one of the city's 30 tough lawyers. And he isn't wasting any time.

James McKay (5:15)

Good morning, Judge. My name is James McKay. We're asking me to file our appearance on behalf of the victim's family in this case pursuant to the Illinois Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act.

Narrator (5:29)

Jennifer immediately pushes back.

Jennifer (5:31)

Your honor, I think the statute is abundantly clear that the victims do not have a right to file an appearance in this case.

Narrator (5:39)

Normally, victims, families or their lawyers don't have a right to appear at this stage of the legal process. But McKay is saying that even though the prosecutors might be ready to drop the case, that's not just their decision. He's arguing that the family of Clifton Lewis should have a say. You might think, well, of course they should have a say. Their loved one was the victim. But prosecutors don't bring charges on behalf of victims. They bring charges on behalf of the people. The idea is that a crime isn't just committed against one person. It's a violation of the entire community. So technically, crime victims or victims families don't have a say in whether someone is charged or if those charges are dismissed or if a plea deal is struck under the law. That's all left to the judgment of prosecutors. But McKay is trying a bit of a Hail Mary Presenting a novel interpretation of a state law protecting victims rights. Jennifer and McKay are arguing back and forth. People in the gallery start grumbling. Alex's family shifts in their seats. The judge seems ready to grant McKay's request to postpone the decision yet again. And then Eric, the problem solving nerd, has an idea. He whispers to Jennifer. Did you catch that? It's so subtle that I'll play it for you again. It's hard to make out the words, but he whispers to Jennifer. Maybe we agree to let them appear. Because what Eric realizes is that McKay's strategy, this demand to appear, is probably just a stall tactic. If they keep fighting McKay, then the case gets postponed. But if they agree, let him proceed. They're calling his bluff and the case can move ahead now. So Jennifer takes a deep breath and takes Eric's advice.

Jennifer (7:51)

How about, you, Honor, if we agree to let them appear today, if they want to file an appearance, go for it. Let's hear the state's position, and then if they want to speak, let them speak.

Narrator (8:02)

She's saying, fine, go for it. Mad Dog, say your piece. From the look on McKay's face, he seems genuinely thrown by this move. He tries again to make the case for postponement.

James McKay (8:16)

The victim's family wants to be heard. The victim's family will not go away. The victim's family is entitled to justice as well. We would like a chance to respond in writing so your Honor can make an informed decision.

Narrator (8:31)

Judge Howard cuts him off.

Judge Carol Howard (8:33)

What I hear counsel saying now is that the defense is withdrawing their opposition and allowing you to file an okay. And if that is true, your motion to intervene is not being objected to today.

Narrator (8:51)

But McKay keeps trying to buy time. He shifts tactics. Now he wants a meeting.

James McKay (8:57)

Your Honor, our clients would like to be heard. And we demand a meeting with State's Attorney Fox to have a meaningful conversation about what, if any, decision the State's Attorney's office is going to make.

Narrator (9:11)

Judge Howard responds, okay, granted, but I'm not giving you a couple of weeks. I'm giving you a few hours. Let's get it done today. She sets Alex's case aside and moves on over McKay's objections, so that he and the prosecutors can arrange a meeting. There are dozens of other cases that need to be heard. Case pass.

Judge Carol Howard (9:34)

You can go talk to the State's Attorney's office. I will recall it later. Andre Wiley.

Narrator (9:44)

None of Alex's supporters in the courtroom know exactly what's happening. And neither does Alex, hundreds of miles away, watching it all unfold on A computer screen. But they've been waiting for more than a decade. They can wait some more. In the courtroom, most everyone stays put. In prison, Alex is left waiting on zoom. Hours pass. When Alex's hearing resumes. The first attorney to talk is prosecutor Kevin DeBoni. He's the one who sent Jennifer and Eric the disc with all the evidence on it, the disc that's brought them back to court today. He tells the judge that his office has spoken with Clifton Lewis's family on several prior occasions and that during the break, the elected state's Attorney herself, Kim Fox, along with her top aide, spoke to them again. Basically, he says, we did what McKay wanted. Then he gets to the reason he's there.

Eric (10:56)

Your Honor, after sentencing concluded in this matter, the state discovered a disc containing evidence that is potentially exculpatory material relevant that had not been previously tendered to the defense. Based upon that discovery, the people agree

Narrator (11:11)

to the relief request to translate the lawyer speak. That means we found the disc after Alex was sentenced. It has evidence suggesting Alex is innocent in violation of the law. The disc was never given to the defense, so now we're dropping the charges.

Judge Carol Howard (11:32)

So the petitioner's 21401 petition is granted.

Jennifer (11:36)

Thank you, you, Honor.

Narrator (11:39)

And that's it. Alex Villa's conviction is tossed. The case is over. McKay's co counsel, Tim Grace, enters the fray, asking to appeal. But there's nothing to appeal. Jennifer pounces, stepping forward and extending her arms like an umpire calling a runner safe at home plate.

Jennifer (11:59)

There's nothing to appeal. It's over.

Narrator (12:05)

There's this weird mix of elation on one side of the room and hostility on the other, like a fight is about to break out. Cops and Alex's supporters shout at each other. Some of them have taken their fights out to the hall. Judge Howard calls her bailiffs to quell the situation before it spins out of control. Inside the courtroom, I can hear the fights continuing and the sound of the sheriff's walkie talkies as they call for backup. The judge addresses McKay.

Judge Carol Howard (12:36)

It's over. And I know that you are disappointed and the family is disappointed, but if there is not enough evidence, there's not enough evidence.

James McKay (12:45)

Thank you, Judge. Thank you for letting us appear and argue. I would just. Again, to Clarify the record, Ms. Fox did not say there was not enough evidence. I would ask Mr. Deboni to confirm that.

Eric (12:58)

Judge, we've made our motion.

Judge Carol Howard (13:00)

Okay, this hearing is over, so I'm gonna shut down the zoom meeting now. Mr. Villa, you've heard that the charges have been dismissed. Have a good day.

Narrator (13:23)

Alex disappears from the screen. His sister Melissa looks like she's in shock. Bailiffs lock down the courtroom to keep the police and Alex's supporters separated. They only allow small groups of people to leave at a time when the president of Chicago's police union, John Catanzara, makes it downstairs. He addresses the TV crews and reporters in the courthouse lobby.

James McKay (13:49)

He's not innocent until he proves himself innocent. He killed Cliff. He needs to go to prison for it. And we're not going to stop until it happens again.

Narrator (13:57)

Alex's conviction has been tossed, but that's not the same as the court saying he's innocent. He can still be charged again. And Catanzara is saying that the police union won't stop until Alex is back in prison for murder. Jennifer had once been hired by the union, the Fraternal Order of Police, to represent officer Jason Van Dyke after the killing of Laquan McDonald. Now Catanzara uses that against her.

James McKay (14:29)

She had no problem taking FOP money in the Jason Van Dyke trial, sentencing and representing to get him a lesser sentence when the FOP was paying her paycheck. She'll say whatever she needs to say to get a paycheck. She's a disgusting human being. She's a piece of garbage.

Narrator (14:44)

As McKay and Catanzara address the press in the lobby, Alex's friends and family gather outside on the courthouse steps, taking pictures with Jennifer and Eric.

Judge Carol Howard (14:58)

Big man

Narrator (15:02)

John Catanzara and other members of the FOP head for the steps where Alex's family is snapping photos. This time, there are no bailiffs around.

James McKay (15:17)

You help Belly.

Jennifer (15:19)

You helped.

Narrator (15:21)

They're yelling at Jennifer and Alex's family, calling them garbage. Wait till next trial. One of them yells. He's going to jail again.

Judge Carol Howard (15:31)

He ain't going to jail again. He is not going to jail again.

Narrator (15:39)

Eric shakes his head as the officers walk away.

Eric (15:42)

These are police officers that are salaried by our tax dollars.

Jennifer (15:46)

Yeah, that's.

Eric (15:47)

That's what we're dealing with.

Jennifer (15:50)

That's just unreal, you know, it actually makes. It gives me such a tremendous amount of joy. Representative Jason Van Dyke. I took FOP money. I would have liked to have said to him, like, yeah, I'm interested in pursuing justice. What I did for Jason was pursuing justice. And what happened here is pursuing justice.

Judge Carol Howard (16:06)

This is what they do.

Narrator (16:07)

They're upset, and who's to say what they're capable of? That's Alex's sister, Melissa. And here's Marisol.

Marisol Villa (16:15)

It's disgusting how they don't look at themselves and how they failed their own fellow officer. Right. How do you do that? This is an officer that was part of your department. There should be some kind of accountability. Honestly, they should not be comfortable at all saying things like that. Disrespecting an attorney and calling her names and things of that nature.

Judge Carol Howard (16:33)

Like, this is insane.

Narrator (16:37)

Jennifer isn't remotely phased. To her, this is all just another example of how the system operates.

Jennifer (16:45)

That wasn't about the victim's rights. That was about the cops. The cops not being accused of wrongdoing, the cops never being willing to admit wrongdoing. You know, they were concerned about the victim's rights. They would change the way they do things at the Chicago Police Department. So I don't know. The bullshit abounds. But what I hope this really signifies is that this is going to change, right? That really we can see some momentum and. And prosecutors viewing the gang unit differently really make change. Right? So this doesn't keep happening to people, because in Chicago, it keeps happening to people.

Narrator (17:26)

Amanda, Alex's girlfriend, looks back at the courthouse. It should feel like a joyous moment, but without their son Damien, it doesn't. She says it's bittersweet. He should be here to celebrate this moment, run to his dad as he walks out the prison gates. But he's not. And that hurts again and again.

Judge Carol Howard (17:51)

I just prayed to my son, like, please, babe, let this be the end with your dad. Like serum. It was just six months ago my son was gone. Just like I said, it's bittersweet because my son will be right next to me, like, my dad's coming home. But it's real. And he's not. He's not here. My hair. That was bad.

Narrator (18:21)

Amanda is wearing her justice for Alex shirt, but she has another shirt in her car. Police have charged someone with Damien's murder, and there's a hearing tomorrow. She plans to be there, sitting behind the prosecutors, wearing a shirt that says justice for Damien.

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Narrator (20:20)

Alex walks out of prison the next morning. It's a four hour drive to Chicago. His first stop is the cemetery where Damien is buried.

Alex Villa (20:30)

One of the first things I wanted to do was go to the cemetery and tell my son that, you know, I was finally free, finally home.

Narrator (20:39)

His family rented him an Airbnb on the outskirts of the city. The threat of him being within the grasp of the CPD feels too scary. Jennifer shows up to meet her client for the first time outside of prison walls. They're both giddy. No bar.

Jennifer (21:02)

Look at you and you're all buff, right? I'm like, snap.

Narrator (21:08)

There's an anxiety, though, under the laughter.

James McKay (21:13)

Yeah, I know.

Alex Villa (21:13)

Everybody's scared for me.

Narrator (21:15)

The police said it plainly yesterday they weren't going to stop till he was behind bars again. And so even the celebration is framed by wariness. But the doorbell keeps ringing. More family, more friends filing in to welcome Alex home. Jennifer orders Italian beef, hot dogs and chocolate cake from Portillo's, a Chicago institution like you. He meets his niece, Janiya for the first time. Alex was arrested shortly after her birth. As Alex eats his first dinner in a decade as a free man, I can't help but notice his hand. The one prosecutors argued he'd use to vault himself over the counter at the mini mart, then shoot Officer Lewis. He still can't use it to hold his utensils properly. Eight months after Alex's release, Jennifer is vacationing in Michigan. The town happens to be home to Jeff Tweedy, the lead singer of the alt country band Wilco. She's at a restaurant with a friend, waiting for a table. Her friend is talking about how everyone in town is trying to catch a glimpse of the rock star.

Jennifer (22:34)

She said how she and a friend are on like Jeff Tweety alert all the time and so she was talking about how they were at this market and Jeff Tweedy was there. And her friend text her. She's like, oh, my God, Jeff Tweedy's here. And I don't know what to do. I don't want to say hi. I'm freaking out.

Narrator (22:47)

As she's listening to her friend, Jennifer's expression suddenly changes.

Jennifer (22:52)

Right. I guess my face was just, like, turned white. Whiter. Very pale. And she's like, oh, my God. Did Jeff Tweedy just walk in?

Narrator (23:03)

I said, I wish. At that moment, Jennifer learns that this little town isn't just Jeff Tweedy's summer stomping grounds. It's Judge James Lynn's, too. The man who had sentenced Alex to prison for life.

Jennifer (23:19)

I'm like, I cannot fucking believe this. This judge just walked in in this huge case I had, and I haven't seen him since he sentenced my client to life. My friend, she always says, babe. She's like, babe, oh, my God. What are you gonna do?

Narrator (23:32)

Jennifer has a flashback to decades earlier when she was at a taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show. A call went out to the audience. Does anyone want to ask Oprah anything? Jennifer immediately thought of a client she was representing, a victim of a notorious Chicago police officer who tortured mostly black men on the city's west side. And I was too.

Jennifer (23:56)

Too scared to raise my damn hand to talk to her about police abuse in Chicago. You know, it's like a snooze, you lose moment. I sat there and I was like, during headlights. And somebody else raised their hand, and they went on to another topic. And I was like, that will not happen to me again. So as I was sitting there, I thought about Oprah Winfrey. And so I got my ass out of that chair and went up and said hi to him. He was shocked to see me. At first, he didn't. It was like he couldn't process who I was. And then he's like, oh, Jennifer. And I was like, hey, Judge Lynn. I was like, I won. And he said, I know. It's like I was like a mind bird. I say, I won. I won. Not my best moment. But then he was very gracious, and he introduced me to his wife. And he's like, do you remember that last case I had the last case where I sentenced the guy to life? And she's like, of course. He's like, well, this is the defense attorney from the case. And I looked at her and I said, I won. And she said, congratulations.

Narrator (24:54)

But Jennifer had a sense the whole time that there was something else on Lynn's mind.

Jennifer (24:58)

And he kept looking at me like he wanted to say something. You know, how somebody like. And he's like. And he would stop, Then he'd look at me, then he would stop. He never said what he wanted to say.

Narrator (25:12)

When Jennifer had defended a police officer, Lynn had made her feel seen. He called her a warrior. When he tried Alex, she felt like he almost broke her.

Jennifer (25:24)

And I had never put together the fact that someone who had said something to me that was so meaningful, who then turned into someone who basically destroyed my faith in the justice system. You know, those two things were living in the same place within me. It was good for me to put it all together, that he. He alone means a lot to me, good and bad.

Narrator (25:52)

The next judge who hears Alex's case will be in civil court. Jennifer and Eric have been gathering evidence for his lawsuit against the city and county. And to hear her tell it, it's going well.

Jennifer (26:05)

This is so opposite of what we went through with the criminal case, where it was horrible, and it just felt like I was getting the shit beat out of me every time, you know? And now I feel like actually we're beating the shit out of them. The tables have turned.

Narrator (26:25)

In court documents, all of the defendants have denied the allegations. We've reached out to the detectives and prosecutors in this case, along with their lawyers, and have not heard back. In December 2023, Nancy Aduci was fired. Eight months later, she filed a lawsuit claiming she was terminated because of race and age discrimination. A Ducey is white, and her former boss, former Cook County State's Attorney Kim Fox, is black. That case is ongoing. Two weeks before Alex's release, Andy Varga resigned. According to multiple published reports, he is now in private practice. According to public records, in August 2025, Alex and Amanda welcomed a baby boy. They named him Alex.

Alex Villa (27:25)

He's just like the happiest baby in the world. He's always smiling. He's just got this joy in his eye, and, you know, I'm just enjoying every moment. All the doctor's appointments. He just got his first shots. I was holding his. His hands, so just. Just enjoying that.

Narrator (27:46)

Alex has gotten a job and a place to live. But it hasn't been easy.

Alex Villa (27:51)

I used to think in prison, like, oh, I'm ready for it. I don't care what it is. It's better than here. But now going through it, you know, there was times where it felt overwhelming, you know, juggling all the stuff, you know, you need. 2.5. The amount of rent, you need a credit score, you need to show proof of income. And them things were really frustrating. You know, you come out, you have none of them.

Narrator (28:19)

Then there are times like when Alex was at a stoplight and looked in his rearview mirror to see a police car behind him.

Alex Villa (28:27)

They're gonna run the plate. See my name be like, oh, look, this that guy. My stomach, my stomach, it falls. Like I get, I get nervous kind of like, I don't know if you know that fear, like getting on a roller coaster kind of.

Narrator (28:41)

Alex tried moving to Florida like he'd planned with Damien. But after a few weeks away, he missed his family too much. He moved back to Chicago where he can take his mom a cup of hot coffee. Most mornings.

Alex Villa (28:55)

In downtown, you see the buildings and I'm looking at it like this is just so beautiful. Like I'm taking it in and I think it's like, you know, going through what I went through, I just think I'm more grateful than a person who never went through what I went through because I know what it feels like to have my freedom taken away.

Narrator (29:16)

When the day is done, he returns home. Damien used to have a collection of his dad's stuff in his room. Alex told me. A shrine, Damian called it. Now Alex has a shrine to his son.

Alex Villa (29:32)

I just started putting all his, all his stuff in here. These are his beyblades. He actually played with his favorite basketball player, Kawhi Leonard's car. I got his rosary with his face. Just a lot of his stuff. I put there some old mail I have, and I cherish it because this is kind of the only stuff I have left.

Narrator (29:57)

Alex says he's made it to several court dates in Damian's murder case. When he first met with the prosecutor, he says he had one. What was the evidence against the man accused of killing his son? As for the other men whose lives were so damaged by this case, Igardo Colon is living in Chicago, although not in subsidized housing with his mother. She died while he was in prison. Tyrone Clay is in Texas building a life far away from the cpd. He and his partner recently had a son. Like Alex, Edgardo and Tyrone have filed federal civil rights lawsuits against the city of Chicago. These cases could cost the already cash strapped city millions of dollars. Melvin DeYoung, the diabetic, was never charged with the murder of Officer Lewis, but he was physically and emotionally shattered by his experience. Meanwhile, the Fraternal Order of police hasn't abandoned its promise to see Alex behind bars in the murder of Officer Clifton Lewis. Last July, the president of the National Fraternal Order of Police sent a letter to the US Attorney General, Pam Bondi, asking her to bring federal charges against Alex. The GOJ confirmed it received the letter, but declined to comment further. What happened to Alex Villa should not have happened. I'm not saying people can't get it wrong. Every institution is just people at the end of the day. But institutions are supposed to have safeguards to ensure that if one piece of the process goes wrong through corruption or through incompetence or through an honest mistake, the next step of the process will make sure that justice is done. That's not what happened here. At the very beginning, in the interrogation rooms, police ignored requests for lawyers. They ignored the cell phone map suggesting that their suspects were nowhere near the mini mark. On the night of December 29, 2011, they focused their efforts on Alex Villa, despite evidence suggesting he couldn't have committed the murder. For reasons I will probably never know, the techs at the regional computer forensics labs failed too, when they took just a surface level look at Tyrone Clay's PlayStation scrolling past the timestamped evidence backing up his alibi. At the next step, prosecutors failed to hand over key evidence. They allegedly edited a police report in a way that strengthened the prosecution's case. They accepted questionable statements from three questionable witnesses. And in court, despite all of that, Alex Villa was sentenced to life. At every stage, the safeguards failed. The reason Alex Villa got out of prison, I think, is because Jennifer and Eric were willing to set their lives on fire in pursuit of justice. They lost sleep and gained weight and lost money and jeopardized relationships because they were relentlessly determined to make the legal system follow the rules and do its job. It shouldn't take that. And these safeguards didn't just fail Alex, they failed Officer Clifton Lewis and his family. Marisol Villa, Alex's sister, thinks about that.

Marisol Villa (33:59)

You know, I feel sorry for Officer Lewis family, right? Tremendous sorry for his family because unfortunately that person who did is still out there. I think pain is pain, right? No matter the loss, it's pain. And unfortunately they've gone through a lot of that and will continue to go through a lot of that, you know, like what a huge blow, I think a huge disappointment that this officer served and his own people, his own community, you know, if you will, couldn't even bring him justice. And it's just. I feel terrible for his mom. I feel terrible for all of his family. I think especially his mother though, like, with being a mom, like, I would never want to lose a child. Like she never gets any closure. And that's sad. That is completely sad. And I feel for her. I really do.

Narrator (35:01)

Alex's sister Melissa, has repeatedly told me that there are no winners in this situation. That became agonizingly clear when I reached Officer Lewis's sister, Nicole Johnson, in March 2025, five months after Alex's release. She's still devastated by the loss of her brother and by what she sees as a betrayal by the legal system. When we talked, she said Alex's release was like a stab wound to the chest. She told me she's lost all faith in the justice system. She feels like the system turned its back on her brother. And she told me she'll never stop fighting for him. I don't know who killed Officer Clifton Lewis. I do know that way back at the beginning and the days after he was killed, tips came in pointing to the Four Corner Hustlers, a gang operating in the neighborhood whose members had allegedly held up the Mini Mart a few weeks before. In that robbery, the security guard on duty had shot at one of the robbers. One tip suggested that the shooting of Officer Lewis was a case of mistaken identity, that the intended target was the other guy. In this theory of the case, it wasn't just the investigators who got the wrong man in Alex, it was the robbers who got the wrong man in Lewis, too. The murder of Clifton Lewis remains unsolved. The Guardian made repeated attempts to speak with the Chicago Police Department. The department did not have anyone available to answer our questions, a spokesperson wrote in an email in court documents. Officers deny any misconduct in the case. Former prosecutors Nancy Adduces and Andy Varga, along with their lawyers, did not respond to multiple interview requests or a detailed list of questions in court papers. They deny any wrongdoing in court filings. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office argued there is no showing of bad faith by Iducesi or Varga and has denied misconduct claims. It declined to answer questions posed by the Guardian, citing pending litigation. No officers or prosecutors have been accused of wrongdoing by officials or charged in connection with this case. We did not hear back from the Fraternal Order of Police John Catanzara or Judge James Lynn. The RCFL declined to. The series executive producers are Joshua Kelly and Cat Aaron, with producer Ben Goldberg. Story editing by Joel Lovell Music editing by Rudy Zagadlo Mixing and sound design by Pascal Wise. The commissioning editors are Nicole Jackson and Michael Hudson. Fact checking by Gabriel Baumgartner Legal review by Zachary Press Field production help from Hannah Edgar and Rima Saleh reporting and presenting by me, Melissa Segura. This is the Guardian.

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