Rolando Cruz, who was eventually pardoned after three trials and 10 years in custody for a 1983 DuPage County murder, will be the special guest at the third annual Defenders of the Innocent Awards Reception to be held May 24 at the Executive Mansion.
Three people who believed in Cruz’s innocence will be honored with Profiles in Courage Awards at the event. Pro Bono awards also will be presented to two Springfield law firms for their work on two area cases that are projects of the Downstate Innocence Project at the University of Illinois Springfield.
The awards reception was featured in a May 10, 2010, article in The State Journal-Register.
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