By Matt Hanley
Chicago Sun-Times
CHICAGO — In his home, Larry Clark has a stack of letters from his nephew Jonathan Moore.
Moore, 30, has been writing to his uncle for nearly a decade, ever since he was sentenced to 75 years for a 2000 Aurora murder. He always maintained he was innocent.
But on Tuesday, Moore walked out of the Kane County courthouse a free man. His murder and attempted murder convictions were vacated after Aurora police officers found new evidence that exonerated Moore.
Moore hugged his uncle.
“I’d like to tell you all thank you for working on my case,” he told supporters gathered outside the courtroom.
Moore was convicted in 2002 of the murder of Shawn Miller and the attempted murder of Leroy Starks.
According to court documents, two Aurora police officers in April 2011 received information from a confidential informant that someone committed the crimes. The officers pursued witnesses and visited Moore in prison to tell him they had a break in the case.
“It’s just incredible,” said Larry Golden, director of the Downstate Illinois Innocence Project. “The police officers deserve tremendous credit.”
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