Marilyn Mulero sues Chicago, disgraced CPD detectives for allegedly framing her for murder

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Marilyn Mulero was sentenced to death without a trial at age 23 and served more than 30 years in prison, including five on death row, before her sentence was commuted in 2020. Tuesday she announced a lawsuit against the City of Chicago and two former Chicago police detectives who she said framed her for a murder she did not commit.

"It's been a long process. Every day i wake up wondering what it would be like for me to take my children to school," she said.

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Mulero spoke Tuesday with other wrongfully convicted men and women. She admitted the last three years as a free woman have not been easy.

"I struggle every day. Because I am a broken woman," Mulero said. "I'm trying to rebuild. I'm trying to rebuilt myself. But it's hard, it's difficult, it's not easy."

Mulero is just the latest to file suit against now-infamous former detective Reynaldo Guevara and his now-dead partner Ernest Halvorsen. Dozens of men and women have accused Guevara of framing them for murder between the 1980s and early 2000s. Of those, at least 39 have had their convictions thrown out.

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"They are actually disgraced on paper. They are burned and torched from every testifying in a courtroom again on behalf of the City of Chicago," said Antonio Romanucci, partner at Romanucci & Blandin.

So far the city has only settled a handful of the Guevara-related lawsuits filed against it. Not including this latest suit, 11 others have been filed in just the last four months. Guevara himself retired from the force in 2005 and continues to receive his pension.

"I think the city has spent $26 million defending Guevara in court," Romanucci said. "Why does the City continue to defend? Because they can't pay. So when you can't pay a bill what is it you typically do? You stall it. You wait. It doesn't go away."

The city's law department would only say it has not been officially served with the complaint and will have no further comment as the matter is now in litigation.

ABC7 also tried to reach out to Guevara, who now lives in Texas, but was not successful.