On September 20, 1990, a 21-year-old graduate student at the University of Chicago was attacked while walking on South Hyde Park Avenue in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The attacker forced her into her apartment and raped her.
The 21-year-old woman, who was white, was taken to a hospital, where a rape kit was taken.
The victim later viewed a police book that contained mugshots. She identified 25-year-old Richard R. Johnson, who was Black, as the man who raped her.
Johnson was arrested on August 8, 1991 in Florida after his photo was featured on the television program America's Most Wanted . He waived extradition to Chicago, where the victim identified him in a live lineup, and he was held without bond pending trial. Johnson was charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault, kidnapping, home invasion, armed robbery, and aggravated unlawful restraint.
Prior to the beginning of his bench trial, Johnson’s defense attorney, assistant Cook County Public Defender Michael Halloran, filed a motion to bar the presentation of any of the forensic evidence at the trial. Cook County Circuit Court Judge James Schreier granted the motion.
On November 20, 1992, Judge Schreier convicted Johnson of all the charges. Judge Schreier sentenced Johnson to 36 years in prison.
Subsequently, Johnson contacted Centurion Ministries, a nonprofit organization in New Jersey that investigates wrongful convictions.
Centurion Ministries agreed to pay for DNA testing, which confirmed the original serological finding. In November 1995, Centurion Ministries reported that Johnson had been excluded as the rapist. A review of the pretrial serological testing showed that there was a blood type present that did not come from the victim or Johnson, essentially excluding him as the source of the biological evidence.
On December 5, 1995, Judge Schreier vacated Johnson’s conviction and set bond at $10,000. Johnson’s family posted it, and Johnson was released.
On March 8, 1996, Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Scott Nelson filed a motion to dismiss the charges.
Judge Schreier granted the motion. Visibly moved, he declared, “I deeply regret I found you guilty of this offense.”
At the time of his arrest, Johnson was 25 years old and had no criminal record. His photo was in the police mugshot book only as a result of a 1989 arrest for allegedly resisting a police officer, a misdemeanor charge that had been dismissed.
Illinois Governor Jim Edgar issued Johnson a pardon based on innocence,and the Illinois Court of Claims awarded him $61,023 in state compensation.
Johnson filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Chicago against Halloran, his trial lawyer, and Cook County which was the governmental body which funded the public defender’s office. The lawsuit accused Halloran of legal malpractice for failing to introduce the forensic evidence. The lawsuit was dismissed on legal grounds. However, when Johnson’s lawyer announced he would appeal the dismissal, the Cook County Board, in January 2005, approved a $400,000 settlement to Johnson.
– Maurice Possley
Posting Date: 08-29-2011
Last Update Date: 02-19-2026
