CHICAGO TO PAY $9 MILLION TO MAN WRONGFULLY IMPRISONED 17 YEARS IN MURDER CASE
Chicago taxpayers are expected to pay $9 million to Daniel Alberto Ochoa, who spent 17 years behind bars after being wrongfully convicted in the 2002 gang-related killing of 15-year-old Marilu Socha.
City attorneys have recommended the settlement, which is scheduled for review by the City Council’s Finance Committee on Monday. If approved, the full City Council could give final approval on July 15.
Ochoa, who was 20 years old at the time of his arrest, was sentenced to 90 years in prison after being convicted of fatally shooting Socha during a drive-by attack in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood in December 2002. Socha was walking with her boyfriend and two friends, who were affiliated with the Two-Six street gang, when a gunman identifying himself as a member of the Latin Kings opened fire. She was the only person struck by gunfire.
Investigators focused on Ochoa after questioning two men connected to a vehicle matching the description of the suspected getaway car. Prosecutors later relied on statements from three men who implicated Ochoa after detectives allegedly promised they would be released if they cooperated. Court records show all three later testified their confessions were coerced and written in English, a language they did not understand.
Ochoa also accused former Chicago police detective Jose Lopez of physically assaulting him while officers searched his apartment for the murder weapon. According to court records, Ochoa said Lopez punched him in the stomach and struck him in the groin with a department-issued flashlight. No weapon was ever recovered.
A Mexican national who spoke only Spanish, Ochoa consistently denied being a member of the Latin Kings. He alleged Lopez falsely translated his statements to prosecutors, claiming Ochoa had confessed to the murder and revealed where the gun was hidden. Although he could not read English, Ochoa signed a written confession that was later used against him at trial.
No physical evidence ever linked Ochoa—or the three men who implicated him—to Socha’s murder.
After his 2005 conviction, an Illinois appeals court overturned the verdict, ruling detectives improperly testified about how they identified Ochoa as a suspect. He was retried and convicted again in 2013, but that conviction was also thrown out for the same reason.
Before prosecutors could try Ochoa a third time, his attorneys located a witness who testified they saw Detective Lopez strike Ochoa during the apartment search. A judge later ruled Ochoa’s confession was inadmissible, eliminating the prosecution’s strongest piece of evidence.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office dismissed all charges against Ochoa in October 2019, leading to his release after spending 17 years in prison. In 2023, he was officially granted a certificate of innocence.
The proposed $9 million settlement highlights the continued financial impact of wrongful convictions in Chicago. According to WTTW News, wrongful conviction cases have already cost Chicago taxpayers $131.5 million during the first six months of 2026 alone.
