Michael Saunders, 42, was shot to death on June 21, 2021, in Calumet Park, Illinois. He was found with a bullet wound to the head and the Cook County medical examiner’s office ruled his death a homicide. No arrests or suspects have been publicly identified in connection with the killing.

Saunders was one of the Englewood Four, wrongfully convicted as a teenager in the 1994 rape and murder of Nina Glover and exonerated in 2011 after DNA linked the crime to Johnny Maniac Douglas. After release he received a settlement from the City of Chicago and Cook County, worked with the Innocence Project, and helped other exonerees reintegrate while advocating for legislative reform.

The circumstances of the shooting remain unclear and few details have been released. If anyone knew Michael Saunders or has information about what happened on June 21, 2021, please come forward.