Chicago man wrongfully incarcerated for murder of young boy gets certificate of innocence

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Chicago man who was wrongfully convicted of murder has been granted a certificate of innocence from the Cook County Circuit Court.

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Brian Beals spent 35 years behind bars for the 1988 murder of a Demetrius Campbell, 6, and injuring his mother Valerie Campbell in Englewood.

"Beals was the intended target of the gunfire that hit the Campbells, but in a mystifying twist of fate, within minutes, he went from being a would-be homicide victim to the lone suspect accused of shooting the Campbells," said Romanucci & Blandin, who represent Beals.

He was convicted in January 1990, the conviction was largely based on witness testimony.

A judge vacated his conviction in December 2023 after Beals' attorneys presented new evidence.

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Romanucci & Blandin, LLC and Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge, LLC represent Beals in his civil litigationagainst the City of Chicago.