George Lettrich, Jr. Case Data
Compiled by Billy Warden
Copyright 2006, Center on Wrongful Convictions
Bluhm Legal Clinic, Northwestern University School of Law
Defendant: Geroge Lettrich, Jr.
Date of crime: December 17, 1948
Place of crime: Cook County, Illinois
Jurisdiction: State
Type of crime:Murder
Sentence:Death
Defendant’s age at time of crime: 34
Defendant’s gender: Male
Defendant’s race:White
Defendant’s prior adult or juvenile conviction record: None
Victim: Roberta Rinearson
Victim’s gender: Female
Victim’s race:White
Victim’s age at time of crime: 10
How defendant initially became a suspect: Arrested in vicinity of crime after girls, ages 10 and 12, claimed he had molested them in a forest preserve in Lyons, Illinois.
Date of arrest: August 10, 1950
Type of proceeding resulting in conviction: Jury trial
Date of conviction:October 18, 1951
Principal evidence presented at trial purporting to establish guilt: Defendant’s confession
Was conviction ever affirmed on appeal? No
Date of release:April 20, 1953
Total days incarcerated: 953
How case was resolved: Dismissal of charges following reversal of conviction
Date of resolution:April 20, 1953 (same as date of release)
Factors leading to resolution: Confession or implication of another suspect (Herlindo Perez Arias), police misconduct (allegedly brutal interrogation), prosecutorial misconduct (inflammatory closing argument).
Individual(s) responsible for bringing miscarriage to light: Original defense lawyer (Assistant Cook County Public Defenders Robert E. Harrington and Irwin D. Bloch)
After exoneration, was defendant charged with or convicted of another crime? No
