The cheering started even before the crowd could see that Roberto Almodovar was finally out of prison.
Almost 23 years after Almodovar and another man were wrongfully convicted of a double murder, he was freed. Earlier Friday, a Cook County judge vacated Almodovar's conviction after State Attorney Kim Foxx's office announced it would drop the charges.
"It feels great, wonderful to see my daughter, my family, my friends," Almodovar said. "It means a lot. It means a whole lot."
Almodovar and William Negron were convicted of the 1994 drive-by killings of Amy Merkes and Jorge Rodriguez in front of a Humboldt Park home in Chicago.
Their convictions hinged on identifications that were allegedly manipulated by now-retired police detective Reynoldo Guevara. Foxx has since been asked to investigate every single Guavara case.
For now Almodovar is putting his time behind bars behind him and looking forward to his new found future.
"Now? Right now I want to spend some time with my daughter, quality time with my family and eat some Puerto Rican food!"
