An Illinois prison official says Shawn Whirl walked out of Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg shortly after noon on Wednesday.
The 45-year-old Whirl told The Associated Press in a brief telephone interview that he never gave up hope that he would be released from prison after giving what he says was a false confession to a detective who worked under disgraced former Chicago Police commander Jon Burge.
Two months ago, an appeals court vacated Whirl’s 1991 conviction and a Cook County judge dismissed the charges on Tuesday. The Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission also ruled that Whirl’s conviction was coerced.