Rolando Cruz doesn't get many invitations to the governor's mansion.
But the former death row inmate made the five-hour drive from his home in Wisconsin to Springfield to honor three people whom he credits with helping to save his life.
He was there Monday as Edward Cisowski, Mary Brigid Hayes and John Sam were recognized for their roles by the Downstate Illinois Innocence Project at the University of Illinois Springfield in the investigation of the 1983 slaying of Jeanine Nicarico of Naperville.
Cisowski and Hayes accepted an inaugural Profiles in Courage Award during a ceremony at the governor's mansion. Sam was unable to attend.
The award was featured in a May 25, 2010, article in the Chicago Daily Herald.
Download a PDF of the article
