CHICAGO — Six men who spent a combined 124 years in prison for the brutal 1987 stabbing of a Cook County government official were officially exonerated Tuesday after new DNA evidence and misconduct claims implicated flawed police work rather than guilt.
A Cook County judge threw out the convictions of Fernando Gomez, Lowell Higgins-Bey, Michael McCastle, Harry Rodriguez, and brothers Gregorio and Robert Cardona, clearing them of the killing of Raymond Carvis, who was found with 19 stab wounds — one so forceful that the knife tip broke off in his body.
The case, built primarily on coerced confessions, collapsed after attorneys revealed that key forensic evidence excluded all six men and pointed instead to an unknown person. The ruling also shines renewed scrutiny on retired Chicago Detective Reynaldo Guevara, who has been connected to dozens of other wrongful convictions.
Murder Weapon Tested, Suspects Cleared
Attorneys began petitioning for post-conviction DNA testing in 2021, focusing on the cake knife used in the killing. Tests revealed DNA from an unidentified third party — not from any of the six men convicted.
Attorney Lauren Kaeseberg said all six men had long demanded forensic testing:
“From day one, every single one of them said, ‘Test everything.’ They were never in that house.”
Their statements were supported by witness reports that initially led police to a different suspect — a handyman who had a prior connection to Carvis and had been suspected in a nearly identical murder four months earlier.
But within days, the case was redirected by Detective Ernest Halvorsen, who, according to court filings, “steered the investigation away” from the original suspect and toward the six men. Many of their alleged confessions were later shown to have been obtained through physical and psychological coercion.
The Pattern Behind Guevara’s Misconduct
The now-retired Guevara has been described by an appellate court as a “malignant blight” on Chicago’s justice system. According to The Guardian, more than 50 cases tied to him have now resulted in overturned convictions.
In this case, Guevara allegedly replaced an initial suspect, Amador “Pee Wee” Torres, with another man who shared the same nickname: Fernando Gomez — despite Torres having an airtight alibi (he was in police custody during the murder).
Over the years, allegations have mounted that Guevara and Halvorsen routinely beat and threatened suspects to extract confessions or manipulate identifications. Chicago taxpayers have already paid nearly $100 million in settlements and legal fees related to Guevara’s misconduct. Legal experts estimate that total liability could reach $2 billion.
One Defendant Died in Prison Before Name Was Cleared
Harry Rodriguez, who was only 19 at the time of his arrest, died in 2019 of muscular sclerosis while serving a life sentence. He never lived to hear his name cleared. His son, Daniel, stood in court wearing a shirt with his father’s photo on it as the judge declared his innocence.
“This is a sad case. It’s just a tragedy,” said Judge Carol Howard, who presided over the exoneration proceedings.
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