An alleged victim of Chicago police torture has been released from prison after spending a quarter-century behind bars.
An Illinois prison official says Shawn Whirl walked out of Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg shortly after noon Wednesday.
The 45-year-old Whirl says he never gave up hope that he would be released from prison. He gave what he says was a false confession to a detective who worked under disgraced former Chicago Police commander Jon Burge.
Two months ago, an appeals court vacated Whirl's 1991 murder conviction and a Cook County judge dismissed the charges on Tuesday.
The Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission also ruled that Whirl's conviction was coerced.
