REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
A Chicago man who was wrongfully convicted of murder has been freed after more than 20 years behind bars, only to be taken into custody by immigration authorities, according to a Chicago Tribune report. Ricardo Rodriguez was convicted of murder in 1995 under “under highly suspicious circumstances.” The arresting officer, now-retired Detective Reynaldo Guevara, claimed he got an “anonymous tip” that Rodriguez was the killer. Witnesses at the trial could not describe Rodriguez until they were shown photos of him, the newspaper reports. Rodriguez did not confess, nor was there any “physical evidence linking him to the crime,” according to his attorneys. The case was dropped this week amid allegations that Guevara manipulated one of the witnesses, and Rodriguez was taken into federal immigration custody on Wednesday. Rodriguez was a lawful permanent resident before the murder, and his status was revoked once convicted. He now faces the possibility of being deported, as Rodriguez also has two convictions for “cannabis possession.”