Exonerated Chicago man plans to sue state and attend law school
- Darien Harris spent the last 12 years behind bars
- "I don't feel like a slave anymore," he said
- He expressed a commitment to helping others wrongfully convicted
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(NewsNation) — Darien Harris, a Chicago man who spent the last 12 years behind bars for a murder he did not commit, wants to sue the state and open his own law firm to help others wrongfully convicted.
Harris, sentenced to 76 years in 2014 for the murder of Rondell Moore, walked away a free man after a key revelation showed the primary witness who had identified him in a lineup was legally blind.
“I don’t feel free, because there’s so many people in jail that I know I have to get out,” he said in a “NewsNation Prime” interview. Harris accused the state’s attorney and police officers of creating false evidence and coercing witnesses to secure convictions. He said the state’s attorney knew the main witness was legally blind.
Harris expressed his relief, stating, “I don’t feel like a slave anymore.” He described the treatment he endured as akin to being treated like an animal. He detailed instances of racial discrimination, food tampering, and inadequate access to medical attention in the correctional center.
“The way they just come through and spray mace just to have us choke for no reason, the way they play with our food and spit in our food,” Harris said.
Expressing his plans for the future, Harris affirmed his intention to sue the state for the injustices he endured. “All the things that I went through, no human being should have to go through that. We should still be treated as human beings,” he asserted.
Since his release, Harris has focused on being with his family and connecting with other wrongfully convicted individuals. He expressed a commitment to helping others in similar situations and revealed plans to attend law school to become a lawyer to open his own law firm.
As Harris looked towards the future, he shared the need to shed light on the plight of those still wrongfully incarcerated.
His case is the latest in a dozen exonerations this year in Chicago’s Cook County, where defendants have been represented by attorneys with The Exoneration Project.
Since 2009, more than 200 people have been exonerated through the group’s work, according to data from the organization.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
