Years after being exonerated of murder, Wayne Washington's name is fully cleared

CHICAGO (CBS) — After more than a decade of limbo, Wayne Washington can officially call himself innocent – long after he was exonerated for a murder he didn’t commit.

We uncovered Washington’s story last year, when he took his fight for his innocence all the way to the Illinois Supreme Court.

As CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey reported, the state Supreme Court this week reversed an Appellate Court panel’s decision – and granted a certificate of innocence to Washington – after he spent 14 years in prison for a murder he had nothing to do with.

The case will set a legal precedent for exonerations across the state.

“I don’t think the reality really hit me yet,” Washington said. “You’re not guilty. You’re just not innocent.”

Washington was still in disbelief Friday. Ever since his 1993 murder conviction was overturned, he has been battling a different problem:

Long story short, Washington was beaten by Chicago Police detectives into confessing to the murder of Marshall Morgan Jr., a 20-year-old basketball player at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The detectives in question have since been accused — many, many times — of beating confessions out of suspects.

CBS 2 Vault: Mike Parker reports on the murder of Marshall Morgan Jr.:

CBS 2 Vault: John Davis reports on the investigation the following day:

Washington took a plea deal, thinking that was his quickest way out, and served 14 years in prison.

It was only after his release that it became clear that the basketball player’s father, who had taken out a $50,000 life insurance policy on his son right before he turned up dead, was actually the killer.

Washington was exonerated, but he didn’t get a certificate of innocence, which officially wipes his slate clean.

“It was a hard reality when I tried for a job position,” he said. “They ran it back and I didn’t pass the background check.”

An appeals court said that was because he technically pleaded guilty.

He was a free man, but unable to apply for jobs – or even chaperone his daughter’s field trips.

Washington and his team of lawyers, including attorney Steve Greenberg, took his fight for that piece of paper all the way to the Illinois Supreme Court.

“Anyone who objectively looked at it would know that he was innocent,” Greenberg said.

And the Illinois Supreme Court agreed this week — granting Washington his innocence, and setting a legal precedent for other exonerees in his position.

“This is going to definitely open up a lot of doors,” Washington said.

So after decades of fighting — what’s next? Washington and Greenberg hope that the decision leads to a more thorough evaluation of police brutality cases at the city level.

“Brandon Johnson should appoint someone to look at all of these cases – just as they do in other large litigation situations – and start talking about resolving all of the cases and doing what’s right for these people who have suffered,” Greenberg said.

We did reach out to the Office of Mayor Brandon Johnson about a bigger-picture review of cases like Washington’s. We were still waiting for a response late Thursday.

Illinois constantly leads the nation in exonerations. Last year, Illinois accounted for more than half of all exonerations in the country.

Megan Hickey

Megan Hickey is a member of the 2 Investigator team, focusing on topical investigative stories.