8 more convictions tied to disgraced former Chicago police Sergeant Ronald Watts thrown out

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Eight more convictions involving disgraced Chicago police Sgt. Ronald Watts were thrown out Monday.

In all, the Cook County State's Attorney's office has moved to vacate 220 cases involving Watts, who has a history of falsely pinning crimes on innocent people.

"This is the worst stain, in my opinion, on the Chicago Police Department and the City of Chicago," said Josh Tepfler, an attorney for the Exoneration Project.

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Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx releasing a statement, saying in part, "...we will never be able to give them that time back. We will continue to review these cases as we seek justice for all his victims."

Derrick Mapp, whose case was vacated last year, said he still has the scars and the pain.

"I almost died," Mapp said. "I almost lost my life."

Mapp said he was beaten by Watts and left with a collapsed lung, then Watts planted drugs on him in 2006. Mapp went to prison leaving his young sons and wife. And when he got out, he had the lasting effects of having a felony on his record.

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"I do the odd jobs, cut grass, take trash out for the elderly because they don't want to give anyone with a background no work," Mapp said. "I had plans and I had plans to do a lot of things. I been working all my life since I was a teenager. This never should have happened the way Watts did that."

Those who had their convictions vacated will file for certificates of innocence and file federal civil rights cases against the City. That's what Mapp has done. He said he's still waiting for the federal case to move forward and for that certificate of innocence.

A spokesperson for the city's Dept. of Law said they do not comment on pending litigation.