The Facts

The Crime

On the evening of August 15, 1982, two African-American teenagers – one male, one female – were shot to death at a pool in Washington Park on Chicago's South Side.  The assailant stole the female victim's money and jewelry.

The Victims

Jerry Hillard, 18, and his girlfriend, Marilyn Green, 19

The Suspect

The police focused on Anthony Porter (left) as the primary suspect for the shootings.  Porter had a prior record of a robbery at the same location, and had ties to gangs often seen in that area of Chicago.

After hearing his name in relation to the shootings, Porter went to the police station to set the record straight.  There he was arrested, despite his protestations of innocence and the lack of physical evidence linking him to the crime.

The Primary Eyewitness

Soon after the shooting, Chicago police questioned William Taylor, who was swimming in the pool in Washington Park, near the bleachers where the shootings occurred.  Taylor initially said he did not see the person who committed the crime, but later at the station he claimed he saw Anthony Porter run by after he heard shots.  After 17 more hours of interrogation, Taylor's story evolved from his original statements that he did not see the person who committed the crime to a statement that he saw Porter shoot the victims.

Ofra Green, the mother of victim Marilyn Green, told the police Alstory Simon may have had something to do with the murders.  Simon had been in a dispute with Jerry Hillard over drug money.  Mrs. Green also claimed to have seen Simon and his wife, Inez Jackson, with the two victims.  When police questioned Simon and Jackson, they showed the two only a photograph of Porter and asked if they knew anything about the crime.  They replied they were not in Washington Park on the evening of the crime.  They were never questioned again, and moved to Milwaukee a few days later.

Next: The Trial