CHICAGO (WLS) — Two Chicago brothers’ petition for certificates of innocence two years after being exonerated for crimes they did not commit was denied Thursday morning.
They will have to fight for the expungement of their records in a new court case.
Sean Tyler and Reginald Henderson said they confessed to a murder they did not commit after being tortured by former Chicago police Cmdr. Jon Burge in 1994.
Both have been exonerated, and want certificates of innocence to clear their names
The brothers were in court Monday, but the decision was pushed back, as the judge said something came up that needed further review.
“This is our life. You have no right to hold us up like this,” Henderson said at the time. “We are trying to get on. We left you at 18 and 17. Man, we’re 48 and 47 years old man. It’s a shame; enough is enough.”
Since being released from prison, life has not been easy for Tyler and Henderson.
SEE MORE: Expungement case for Chicago brothers wrongfully convicted pushed back by judge
“They ask, how our life’s been since we’ve been home?” Henderson said. “Everybody that accepted our collect calls are gone.”
Their mother passed shortly after, as did their sister. It’s 25 years lost with loved ones, having spent the better part of their lives behind bars for a crime they had nothing to do with.
In 1994, they said they were among the more than 100 men tortured into murder confessions by officers trained under Burge. The city has paid out millions in lawsuit settlements and judgments related to these crimes.
The two brothers were exonerated in 2021, but still have not received certificates of innocence.
“I don’t see how one doesn’t go with the other,” Tyler said. “I don’t see how you could be innocent, and still somehow be guilty.”
Having suffered enough, the siblings are hoping for closure in this grueling chapter of their lives.
“Just waiting,” Tyler said. “I do know that it’s coming, but just waiting.”
The video in the player above is from an earlier report.
