Joshua Tepfer

In re Corruption of Former Chicago Police Sergeant Ronald Watts(Circuit Court of Cook County, IL) Lead counsel in Cook County’s first ever mass exoneration, which remains ongoing. To date, over 230 convictions have been overturned as a result of a decade of misconduct by disgraced Sergeant Ronald Watts and his tactical team. Fifteen officers disciplined by the City and State’s Attorney as a result of the litigation.

People v. John Martinez (Circuit Court of Cook County, IL) Post-conviction counsel for man framed by Reynaldo Guevara and exonerated more than two decades after his arrest.

People v. Gamalier Rivera (Circuit Court of Cook County, IL) Lead post-conviction counsel for man framed by Reynaldo Guevara and exonerated three decades after his arrest.

People v. David Gecht (Circuit Court of Cook County, IL) Post-conviction counsel for man framed by Reynaldo Guevara and exonerated more than two decades after his arrest.

People v. Juan & Rosendo Hernandez (Circuit Court of Cook County, IL) Lead post-conviction counsel for two men framed by Reynaldo Guevara and exonerated after each spent 25 years incarcerated.

People v. Daniel Rodgiruez (Circuit Court of Cook County, IL) Lead post-conviction counsel for man framed by Reynaldo Guevara and exonerated three decades after his arrest.

People v. John Galvan & Arthur Almendarez (Circuit Court of Cook County, IL) Post-conviction counsel for two men exonerated, each of whom spent 35 years in prison.

People v. Justin Black (Cabell County WV) – Lead counsel in exoneration of man more than a decade after his conviction.

People v. Sharron Rocquemore & Matt Dixon (Circuit Court of Cook County, IL) – Lead counsel in separate exonerations involving corruption of former Chicago police sergeant Xavier Elizondo and officer David Salgado.

Ware v. Kim Foxx (N.D. of Illinois) – Counsel for injunctive relief stopping practice of illegal subpoenas of witnesses.

People v. Corey Batchelor (Circuit Court of Cook County, IL) Lead post-conviction counsel for man tortured into false confession by Chicago detectives tied to Jon Burge. Murder conviction of Mr. Batchelor and Kevin Bailey overturned nearly 30 years after their arrest.

People v. Geraldo Iglesias (Circuit Court of Cook County, IL) Lead post-conviction counsel for man framed by Reynaldo Guevara and and exonerated three decades after his arrest.

People v. Demetrius Johnson (Circuit Court of Cook County, IL) Lead post-conviction counsel for man framed by Reynaldo Guevara and and exonerated three decades after his arrest.

People v. Thomas Sierra (Circuit Court of Cook County, IL) Post-conviction counsel for man framed by disgraced former Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara. Mr. Sierra spent 22 years in prison prior to exoneration.

People v. Robert Hill, (Circuit Court of Cook County) Post-conviction counsel for man whose charges were dismissed 10 years after illegal arrest and interrogation.

People v. John Horton(Circuit Court of Winnebago County, IL & Illinois Appellate Court) Lead post-conviction counsel involving 17-year-old false confessor in Rockford, IL. Conviction vacated by Illinois Appellate Court in what a concurring judge called an “extraordinary and possibly unprecedented remedy.” Mr. Horton spent nearly 23 years in prison before being exonerated.

People v. Charles Johnson, et al. (“Marquette Park Four”) (Circuit Court of Cook County, IL and Illinois Appellate Court) – Post-conviction counsel in quadruple exoneration. Mr. Johnson and his co-defendants were all teenagers when they falsely confessed to double murder. Illinois appellate court reversed lower court decision and State’s Attorney later drops charges as a result of new fingerprint results and Brady v. Maryland violations.

People v. Daniel Andersen(Circuit Court of Cook County, IL) Post-conviction counsel for Mr. Andersen, who falsely confessed, spent over 27 years in prison, and was exonerated 35 years after his arrest. Counsel for in federal civil rights lawsuit resulting in multi-million dollar verdict.

People v. Jamie Lee Peterson(Circuit Court of Kalkaska County, MI and MI Court of Claims) Post-conviction counsel for Mr. Peterson, who falsely confessed and was wrongfully imprisoned for 17 years. Mr. Peterson was later adjudged innocent.

People v. Terrill Swift et. al.(“Englewood Four”) (Circuit Court of Cook County, IL) Post-conviction counsel for Mr. Swift in case involving false confessions and wrongful convictions of four teenagers. Mr. Swift and his co-defendants were certified innocent in 2012 after they spent roughly 60 years in prison combined. Case profiled on CBS 60 Minutes where Chicago was coined The False Confession Capital.

People v. Robert Taylor et. al.(“Dixmoor Five”) (Circuit Court of Cook County, IL) Quintuple Exoneration of five convicted teenagers, aged 14-16. Mr. Taylor and two others falsely confessed, leading to the five men spending nearly 80 years in prison wrongfully. Mr. Taylor and others were certified innocent.

J.D.B. v. North Carolina, 131 S.Ct. 2394 (2011) Counsel amicus curiaefor Center on Wrongful Conviction of Youth (CWCY) in support of prevailing party J.D.B. Justice Sotomayor, for the majority, held that a child’s age must be included as part of the Miranda custody calculus. Justice Sotomayor noted the risk of false confession is “all the more acute” when the suspect is a juvenile, specifically citing CWCY amicus brief.

State v. Daniel Villegas(El Paso County Circuit Court, TX) Post-conviction counsel for Mr. Villegas on habeas petition and appeals through the Texas high courts. Mr. Villegas was 16 years old when he falsely confessed to double murder and spent more than two decades in prison for a crime he did not commit. He was acquitted at a re-trial in September 2018.

In re Elias V.(Court of Appeal, First District, Division 2, CA) Counsel amicus curiae in support of prevailing party. The Appellate Court’s unanimous decision reversed outright the wrongful conviction of a 13-year-old boy.

In re Samantha V.(Illinois Supreme Court) 234 Ill. 2d 359 (2009) Counsel on appeal for juvenile resulting in a unanimous favorable decision by Illinois Supreme Court reversing lower appellate court and holding that state one-act, one-crime rule applies to juvenile proceedings.