A Chicago man who spent an unimaginable 33 years behind bars for a crime he says he didn’t commit is finally getting his freedom. Just in time for the holidays, 51-year-old Hilton Keller is walking out of prison after his conviction was thrown out on Monday.
Hilton was only 18 years old when his life took a devastating turn. His attorney says he was framed by a senior gang member and Chicago police for the armed robbery and murder of Ollie Jones, a game store owner on the city’s South Side.
Prosecutors at the time built their case on the testimony of a young gang member. Years later, that same witness admitted he lied. Despite this, prosecutors pressed on, relying on the accounts of two other witnesses who also, according to Hilton’s attorney, were not telling the truth.
To make matters worse, important information that could have helped Hilton’s defense was never shared with his lawyers, a legal violation. In 2019, a breakthrough came when one of the witnesses who testified against Hilton reached out to him from jail and confessed to lying, owning up to his role in the wrongful conviction.
Earlier this year, Hilton agreed to a deal that reduced his original sentence from 70 years to 60 years. Because of good behavior, he was released temporarily and hoped to visit his dying mother in Texas. Tragically, she passed away before he could make it. Heartbroken, Hilton decided he couldn’t settle for a shorter sentence—he wanted his name cleared completely. When the agreement was reversed, he went back to prison while his lawyers fought to have his conviction wiped away.
On Monday, their hard work paid off. Hilton’s aunt, Gertrude Barber, expressed relief and gratitude, saying, “For all these years, in my heart, I knew he didn’t do it. I didn’t know how we could help him, but God made it happen today.”
The man believed to have actually committed the crime, the senior gang member who allegedly framed Hilton, has since died.
Hilton’s legal team now plans to file for a certificate of innocence in Cook County Criminal Court early next year. This would officially clear his name. Meanwhile, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has 30 days to decide whether they’ll pursue a retrial. For now, Hilton is on pre-trial release.
This case is a sobering reminder of the flaws in the justice system, but Hilton’s release offers hope that even decades of injustice can eventually be righted.
