Man Sues City After Conviction Based on Testimony from Legally Blind Witness is Overturned
Darien Harris, who was wrongfully convicted of murder partly based on testimony from a legally blind eyewitness, is suing the city of Chicago and its police department.
In 2014, Harris was convicted for a fatal shooting at a South Side gas station in 2011 and sentenced to 76 years in prison. He was released in December 2023, 12 years into his sentence, after The Exoneration Project revealed that the eyewitness, who had advanced glaucoma, lied about his eyesight issues. Harris was 30 years old at the time of his release.
Harris filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in April, alleging that police fabricated evidence and coerced witnesses into making false statements, according to The Chicago Tribune.
Harris shared his struggles with rebuilding his life after his wrongful conviction. "I don’t have any financial help. I’m still treated like a felon, so I can’t get a good job. It’s hard for me to get into school," he said. "I’ve been so lost. ... I feel like they took a piece of me that is hard for me to get back."
Harris was an 18-year-old high school senior when he was arrested for the June 7, 2011, shooting that killed 23-year-old Rondell Moore. Moore, who had car troubles, was at the gas station with his brother and a friend. A local mechanic assisting them was also shot but survived.
Surveillance footage did not capture the shooting, but prosecutors argued it showed someone walking away from a black Lexus towards the shooting area and then running away. The individual's face was not visible.
In the 2014 trial, Harris was convicted of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and aggravated battery with a firearm. The judge’s decision relied heavily on the testimony of Dexter Saffold, an eyewitness who identified Harris in a police lineup and in court. Saffold testified that he saw the shooter while riding his motorized scooter near the gas station.
Unbeknownst to the judge, Saffold was legally blind due to glaucoma. This fact briefly surfaced during the trial when Saffold acknowledged his diabetes affected his vision but denied having significant vision problems. Court records later revealed that Saffold had been declared legally blind nine years before the shooting.
A gas station attendant also testified that Harris was not the shooter.
In December, Harris' attorney, Lauren Myerscough-Mueller, argued that his conviction was based on mistaken eyewitness testimony and "egregious misconduct" by police, who allegedly fabricated evidence and coerced witnesses. The judge vacated Harris’ convictions, and the charges were dropped.
The city’s Law Department, which provides attorneys for the city and its employees, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Exoneration Project, which has helped clear more than 200 people since 2009, played a crucial role in Harris’ exoneration. In 2023 alone, the project aided in exonerating a dozen individuals in Chicago’s Cook County.
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