Certificates of innocence delayed for Chicago brothers exonerated in 1994 wrongful murder conviction

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Two brothers who were wrongly convicted of a murder nearly 30 years ago are a step closer to clearing their names,

At a hearing Wednesday, the state announced it is not opposed to moving forward with petitions from Sean Tyler and Reginald Henderson for their certificates of innocence, but the decision will still be delayed.

The brothers said they can't wait for the ordeal to be over. Tyler and Henderson said they will get justice, although a Cook County judge has delayed their petition for certificates of innocence.

"The delay we can't control, so the only thing we can do is wait for it to play out," Tyler said. "It kind of sucks justice takes this long."

The decision comes despite no objection to the petition by the Cook County State's Attorney Office, which opposed the initial filing a year ago.

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In court, Judge Erica Reddick said she needed time to review the current filing before issuing any ruling.

"I think the court needs to make sure we've met our burden of proving that these gentlemen are innocent," said Karl Leonard with the Exoneration Project.

A certificate of innocence would not only expunge Tyler and Henderson's murder convictions, but it would also allow the men to receive compensation for their wrongful incarceration.

"How does the court system rapidly find them guilty and then take eons to find them not guilty?" a relative of the brothers Harvey Matthews said. "There's a misjustice going on here."

Both brothers said in 1994 they were among the hundreds of men tortured into making false confessions by corrupt detectives trained under disgraced former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge.

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"Enough is enough. This is just one family amongst millions of other families impacted by the same thing," said Jasmine Smith with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

Most would think after being released from prison life would be easier, but the brothers said it hasn't. Both have struggled with losing family members and time following their unjust convictions.

"We're not bitter, but we're better men for the situation that has happened," Henderson said.

Both Tyler and Henderson were exonerated in 2021, but say they're still not free.

The exonerated brothers said all they want is their good name back. They will be back in court April 2.