Shawn Whirl Free Man Campaign
Donation protected
My name is Shawn Whirl, and on October 14, 2015, I walked out of the Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg, Illinois, after spending over 25 years in prison for a crime I did not commit. I am asking for your help to get my life back after spending more than half my life locked up. I am seeking donations to help me buy a used car so I can have transportation for a job and to visit family, and for a security deposit so I can get an apartment near my elderly father to assist him.
In 1991, I was wrongfully convicted for the murder of a cab driver and sentenced to 60 years in prison. I was convicted after Detective James Pienta, a Chicago Police Detective who worked closely with Commander Jon Burge who is best known for torturing innocent people into giving false confessions, also tortured me into giving a false confession. In 2011, the Illinois Torture Inquiry & Relief Commission referred my case to the Cook County Courts for a hearing, making me one of the first people in Illinois to receive relief from that Commission for being a victim of this torture. In October of this year, an Illinois Court of Appeals overturned my conviction, granted me a new trial, and prosecutors dropped all charges against me.
During the time I was in prison, I lost everything. I have missed out on the opportunity to finish college, to develop job experience, and to start my own family. I was released without any help from the State of Illinois. Both of my parents are retired and living on small fixed incomes. The system expects me to pick myself up and get my life started without any assistance when I was freed as a 45-year-old man with only the clothes on my back after I was wrongfully put there by that same system. I am looking forward to the basic things in life that are so often taken for granted: having a job and being able to support myself as a free man. I also look forward to giving back to the community by being able to tell my story and encourage others to have hope for a better future. However, I need help to get myself where I need to be so that I can be a productive member of society.
I know that times are tough and that everyone has many things they could spend their money on, but any amount helps. There is no amount too small. I will use this money to help myself buy a car so that I can get myself to and from a job and can visit with and help my parents. I also need to pull together a security deposit so that I can get myself an apartment. Both of my parents are older and need assistance from me, and living close to them would allow me to help them as I get my life back on track.
Thank you for taking the time to hear my story. With your help, I can and will get my life back together. With your help, I will be able to put myself in a position to help others.
I am listed among the exonerees in the National Registry of Exonerations – you can find information about me here. You can also read and watch media coverage about my case here:
Chicago Tribune
WGN
ABC 7 News
Huffington Post
The Guardian
In 1991, I was wrongfully convicted for the murder of a cab driver and sentenced to 60 years in prison. I was convicted after Detective James Pienta, a Chicago Police Detective who worked closely with Commander Jon Burge who is best known for torturing innocent people into giving false confessions, also tortured me into giving a false confession. In 2011, the Illinois Torture Inquiry & Relief Commission referred my case to the Cook County Courts for a hearing, making me one of the first people in Illinois to receive relief from that Commission for being a victim of this torture. In October of this year, an Illinois Court of Appeals overturned my conviction, granted me a new trial, and prosecutors dropped all charges against me.
During the time I was in prison, I lost everything. I have missed out on the opportunity to finish college, to develop job experience, and to start my own family. I was released without any help from the State of Illinois. Both of my parents are retired and living on small fixed incomes. The system expects me to pick myself up and get my life started without any assistance when I was freed as a 45-year-old man with only the clothes on my back after I was wrongfully put there by that same system. I am looking forward to the basic things in life that are so often taken for granted: having a job and being able to support myself as a free man. I also look forward to giving back to the community by being able to tell my story and encourage others to have hope for a better future. However, I need help to get myself where I need to be so that I can be a productive member of society.
I know that times are tough and that everyone has many things they could spend their money on, but any amount helps. There is no amount too small. I will use this money to help myself buy a car so that I can get myself to and from a job and can visit with and help my parents. I also need to pull together a security deposit so that I can get myself an apartment. Both of my parents are older and need assistance from me, and living close to them would allow me to help them as I get my life back on track.
Thank you for taking the time to hear my story. With your help, I can and will get my life back together. With your help, I will be able to put myself in a position to help others.
I am listed among the exonerees in the National Registry of Exonerations – you can find information about me here. You can also read and watch media coverage about my case here:
Chicago Tribune
WGN
ABC 7 News
Huffington Post
The Guardian
Organiser
Shawn Whirl
Organiser
Chicago, IL