Juan Hernandez was 15 when he was killed in a June 17, 2008, shooting on the 2200 block of North Mobile Avenue in Chicago that also left Jorge Gonzalez dead. The incident involved several teenagers on a porch who were fired upon by a group of assailants; witnesses later identified Juan and his brother Rosendo as shooters during an identification process conducted by detectives Reynaldo Guevara and Joseph Miedzianowski.

The investigation and prosecutions were marked by allegations of serious police misconduct. Witness descriptions were initially inconsistent, but detectives allegedly pressured witnesses and used a suggestive photo array that made the Hernandez brothers stand out. The brothers say they provided alibis corroborated by witnesses that detectives disregarded while fabricating evidence to undermine those claims. They were denied proper legal representation during arrests and lineups, and convictions followed despite no physical evidence tying them to the shooting.

After decades of legal battles and advocacy, the brothers’ convictions were overturned and the charges dismissed in 2022, with courts citing substantial evidence of police misconduct. Does anyone have memories from that neighborhood or information about the night of June 17, 2008?