A Chicago man who was cleared of murder by DNA testing after spending 32 years in jail for the crime has been charged with a new murder, Chicago police reported Last week.
A little over a year ago Andres Davis was released from prison after serving 32 years for a murder conviction when new DNA evidence was submitted showing that he was likely innocent of a murder that occurred in 1980.
But on June 12, it was reported that Davis faces new murder charges in a wholly different case. The Chicago Police arrested Davis for the murder of 19-year-old Jamal Harmon who was found dead in an alley, stabbed and shot three times.
Davis appeared in court on Thursday dressed in a hooded gray sweatshirt and was ordered held without bond.
Assistant State’s Attorney Robert Mack said Davis had an argument with the victim during a party hosted by Davis’ nephew on October 7 of last year. Purportedly Davis and his nephew got into a fight with the victim over a dice game that night.
The nephew retrieved a gun and joined Davis when the pair confronted Harmon.
Authorities say that after shooting the victim, Davis put the still living man in the trunk of his car. Davis is charged with shooting and stabbing the victim then dumping his body in an alley of the 7600 block of S. Carpenter Street.
Police discovered Harmon’s body shot three times, in the face, lower neck and left armpit. He had also been stabbed four times.
Davis was arrested after he bragged that he’d “cut someone’s throat.”
Davis’ nephew, Derrick Hilliard, was also arrested and charged with the killing.
Andres Davis was last in the news for having been released after new DNA evidence helped overturn his conviction for the 1980 murder and rape of a three-year-old girl. In the early 80s Davis was found guilty of the murder of Brianna Stickle in downstate Rantoul, Illinois.
When new DNA evidence came to light late in 2012, Davis was cleared of the 1980 murder. The Illinois States Attorney declined to re-prosecute Davis on the 32-year-old murder because witness were either long dead or their testimony was deemed unreliable due to so much time passing. Ultimately, Davis was released from an Illinois maximum detention facility after serving 32 years.
The conviction for the 1980 murder isn’t Davis’ only brush with the law. He also has on his record charges of attempted murder, aggravated discharge of a weapon, and two counts of aggravated battery. Additionally, he is still facing two recent misdemeanor counts of DUI.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com
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