Chicago man freed after 22 years as detective's credibility crumbles in murder case

CHICAGO - Antonio Porter spent more than two decades in prison for a murder he’s always said he didn’t commit. On Monday night, he went home.

Porter, 50, was released on electronic monitoring while prosecutors decided what to do with the case against him. Last week, a judge vacated his conviction in the 2002 killing of Laymond Harrison, erasing the 71-year sentence that put him away in 2003.

The bond hearing on Monday drew Porter’s mother and a courtroom full of supporters. Some held photos, old ones, the kind that yellow at the edges. When Judge Tyaria Walton said Porter could go home, several people cried.

What matters now is this: Porter’s conviction is gone. The case is back to square one. Prosecutors have to decide if they can still prove it, or if 22 years is where it ends.

What the judge decided:

Cook County Judge Tyaria Walton vacated the conviction last week after finding that a Chicago police detective’s credibility problems were serious enough to undermine the original verdict.

In her written ruling, Walton said the detective’s history of alleged misconduct in other cases raised questions about his testimony in Porter’s trial. The information, she wrote, "could likely change the outcome" of a new trial, though she stopped short of saying it would.

On Monday, she ordered Porter to be released on electronic monitoring. He left custody that night.

Conviction overturned:

Porter was convicted in 2003 of killing Harrison during a dice game outside James Madison Elementary School in Grand Crossing. 

Prosecutors said it was payback for an earlier killing. Here’s the thing: at trial, four eyewitnesses originally identified Porter to police. Then all four recanted on the stand. Each one told the jury that Porter wasn’t the shooter. One witness said detectives threatened him during questioning, kept him for hours without letting him call his mother.

The jury convicted Porter anyway. Deliberations took less than four hours.

Porter’s legal challenge zeroed in on a Chicago police detective who testified at trial and vouched for the witness statements. 

Porter’s attorneys pointed to later court findings (in unrelated cases) showing the detective had given false or misleading testimony elsewhere. That called his credibility into question.

What they're saying:

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office is still reviewing the ruling and the evidence.

In a statement, the office said it’s "carefully evaluating the court’s ruling, along with the facts and circumstances of this case." It said it remains committed to pursuing charges that meet legal standards while protecting public safety and seeking justice for victims.

They haven’t said whether they’ll retry Porter or drop the case.

Porter has said from the beginning that he didn’t do it. In past prison interviews, he’s said police stopped him while he was running an errand the day of his arrest. He never made it home.

His family and supporters say his case is part of a bigger pattern: coerced statements, the way Black suspects have been treated by Chicago police. 

Outside the court on Monday, supporters hugged in the hallway. Deputies moved through with carts of files. Someone left coffee cups on a bench near the doors.

Porter’s attorney, Joshua Tepfer, said he doesn’t think prosecutors can prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt anymore. He said Porter’s release gives him a chance to be with his family while the legal process plays out.

What's next:

Porter is still charged with murder. But the conviction is gone. The case is back in pretrial proceedings, and prosecutors must decide whether to proceed with a new trial.

For now, Porter is out on electronic monitoring. Status dates are expected in the coming weeks. Both sides will figure out the next step in a case that’s already taken more than two decades.