In this high profile exoneration, four young men who were convicted of the brutal murder of a Chicago medical student were released from prison when an unrelated perpetrator was later identified and confirmed by physical evidence to have been responsible. The four had originally been convicted on the strength of statements in which each incriminated themselves and/or others of the group. The now-released Roscetti Four filed a civil suit which charged malicious prosecution in connection with their interrogation, and sought damages for psychological injuries from their experiences and from incarceration.
At the request of the City of Chicago’s attorneys, four of The Forensic Panel’s psychiatrists and psychologists examined records of investigation and interrogations and data that otherwise reflected on the function and vulnerabilities of each plaintiff. This informed The Forensic Panel’s conclusion that the false confession of the naïve youngest of the four had spawned a series of events culminating in the wrongful conviction of all four plaintiffs. The Forensic Panel’s examination and findings facilitated the resolution of the case without trial. In so doing, our mental health professionals distinguished those among the four for whom incarceration had been destructive from those who showed resilience for the experience
