From one moment to the next, Kevin Dugar’s life changed. In 2003 he was sentenced to 99 years in prison for a crime he claimed he did not commit; 20 years later he was released after his twin brother confessed to the murder.
Man spent 20 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit: his twin brother confessed to the killing
The Chicago man was released from Cook County Jail after it was revealed that he never participated in the crimes he was charged with.
According to ABC7 in Chicago, Dugar was convicted of a gang-related murder in 2003 on Chicago’s north side.
It is worth mentioning that the case gained prominence since the confession of his brother, Karl Smith, who wrote a letter in 2013, which he accompanied with phrases such as “I have to get it off my chest before I kill myself” and “So I will come clean and pray that you forgive me,” in addition to the account of the events.
Despite the testimony, the judge found the confession “completely unreliable” in 2018, so Dugar remained incarcerated. The judge cited the fact that Smith was already serving a 99-year prison sentence for his involvement in a 2008 home invasion and armed robbery that left a 6-year-old boy shot in the head.
However, Dugar’s conviction was later overturned by the Court of Appeals, which found it likely that a jury hearing all the evidence would reach a different conclusion than the one that convicted him, according to the defense.
For the time being, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has not indicated whether it will drop the case.
