Innocence Project plays role in acquittal of Julie Rea-Harper

On July 26, a jury in Carlyle found Rea-Harper not guilty of the 1997 murder of her son, Joel Kirkpatrick.

Despite the not guilty verdict, UIS' Downstate Innocence Project, which has provided significant investigative assistance to Rea-Harper and her legal team for the past several years, points to her case as another example of a flawed criminal justice system in Illinois.

"Despite the death penalty reforms that were put in place to guard against an innocent person being wrongly convicted, this case exposes serious flaws that still exist in our criminal justice system," said Nancy Ford, Innocence Project co-director. Read more>>