Judge orders wrongfully convicted man released after 24 Years in prison

The Exoneration Project at the University of Chicago learned that James Kluppelberg — wrongfully imprisoned 24 years for a crime that he did not commit — will be released from the maximum security Menard, Illinois Correctional Center at approximately 12:30 PM today, Thursday, May 31.
 

CHICAGO, IL –  A Cook County Judge vacated the conviction of James Kluppelberg, who was wrongfully convicted of starting a deadly fire that killed 6 and injured another on March 24, 1984 at 4448 S. Hermitage. The court ordered the release of Mr. Kluppelberg, who is represented by the Exoneration Project at the University of the Chicago Law School and Mr. Karl Leonard of Winston & Strawn LLP.

Mr. Kluppelberg was wrongfully convicted of 6 counts of murder and 3 counts of arson on March 22, 1990 and sentenced to a term of natural life. To date, Mr. Kluppelberg has spent 24 years in prison for the crime despite always maintaining his innocence. Mr. Kluppelberg will be released just in time to celebrate his 47th birthday as a free man. 

During the initial investigation, the police determined that the fire was an accident. Four years later, a witness avoided prison time on burglary and theft charges by falsely claiming that he watched Mr. Kluppelberg go back and forth to the scene of the fire from an attic window. Aerial photographs showed that the view from the attic window was blocked by another building.  In addition, a former Fire Department employee, Francis Burns, theorized that the fire was started by igniting a pile of newspapers or rags and that alleged burn patterns demonstrated that the fire was an arson.  The witness has since admitted that he lied, and advances in science have proven that Mr. Burns’ arson theory is impossible.  Students working with the Exoneration Project also uncovered evidence that another person may have been involved in starting the fire, evidence that had not been previously disclosed to Mr. Kluppelberg.

“Mr. Kluppelberg is overjoyed to be coming home,” said Gayle Horn, an attorney with the Exoneration Project.  “We would also like to thank the State for recognizing that Mr. Kluppelberg’s conviction could no longer stand in light of the new evidence that he has secured since his trial.”

For more information:

Gayle Horn, Eva Nagao, UChicago Law School Exoneration Project, 773-573-4155, tthompson@law.uchicago.edu

Karl Leonard, Winston & Strawn, 312-558-3709, KaLeonard@winston.com