CHICAGO — Cook County prosecutors on Wednesday dropped charges and a judge overturned the conviction of a man who faced a lifetime in prison for the 2011 shooting death of a Chicago police officer.
Alexander Villa was convicted in a 2019 jury trial and sentenced last year but asked Judge Carol Howard to overturn his conviction, claiming prosecutors hid evidence during trial that would have proven his innocence. Two other defendants, Edgardo Colon and Tyrone Clay, have already had their charges dropped and walked free last year.
Dozens of Villa’s family and friends who attended the hearing at the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse erupted in cheers and applause when his conviction in the shooting death of Officer Clifton Lewis was overturned…