Jury awards $1.3 million to man, saying cops faked confession with Polygraph
June 12, 2010
A Southwest Side man was awarded $1.3 million Tuesday after a Cook County jury found two Chicago Police detectives and a police polygraph administrator created a false confession about him in the 2001 murder of his neighbor, according to the man’s lawyers.
Donny McGee’s award is to include $330,000 from the officers’ personal funds, according to Loevy & Loevy Attorneys at Law.
McGee, who spent three years in prison, was to face the death penalty in the murder of Ethel Perstlen, 76.
Detective Edward Farley, Detective Robert Lenihan and Officer Robert Bartik fabricated a confession from McGee that was not written, audiotaped or videotaped, the lawyers added.