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Certificate of Innocence sought for man wrongfully jailed

Posted May 18, 2018 7:00 am

The Associated Press

WHEATON, Ill. (AP) - An Illinois man who spent 22 years behind bars for arson and murder before being exonerated wants his record expunged and a certificate of innocence.

An attorney for William Amor, formally of Naperville, filed a petition in DuPage County Circuit Court for the certificate. Under the state's wrongfully convicted compensation statute, the 62-year-old Amor could qualify to receive the maximum compensation of roughly $220,000.

DuPage County state's attorney spokesman Paul Darrah said Friday prosecutors oppose Amor's quest for a certificate of innocence.

Amor was released on bond in May 2017 after a judge vacated his convictions and ordered a new trial. Judge Liam Brennan ruled advances in fire science proved the description Amor gave in his confession was impossible. Amor said he started the fire with a cigarette and a vodka-soaked newspaper

Brennan in February found Amor not guilty of arson and murder in the 1995 death of Marianne Miceli.

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