Dear Friends,

We'd like to tell you a story and ask for your help.

Alton Logan never committed a crime, yet he languished in prison for 26 years, more than half his life, while two attorneys who knew he was innocent remained silent.

Alton was convicted of killing a security guard at a South Side McDonald's in Chicago in 1982. Police arrested him after a tip and got three eyewitnesses to identify him. Alton's mother and brother testified he was at home asleep when the murder occurred. Nevertheless, a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder. He was sent to Pontiac Correctional Institute and then eventually to Statesville prison near Joliet.

Alton says that during the first five or six years he was "consumed" by anger. He now recalls, "Then I came to the realization that 'Why be angry over something you can't control?'"

While in prison, Alton earned his G.E.D. and received a Certificate in Welding, Heating and Air Conditioning. In addition, he received a Certificate in Building Maintenance. Alton also received an Associate in Applied Science Degree.

Before his trial, two attorneys had learned that another man had committed the crime. Attorneys Dale Coventry and Jamie Kunz of Chicago met with their client, Andrew Wilson, who confessed to them that he had killed the security guard at McDonald's, the crime Alton was charged with.

Wilson was their client. So, legally, they had to keep his secret even though an innocent man was tried for the murder. Coventry and Kunz said they were bound to follow the rules of conduct for attorneys and had to remain silent.

The two wrote an affidavit spelling out what they knew and placed the document in a safe. But they told no one and never tried to free Alton. It was not until their former client, Wilson, died in 2007, that Coventry and Kunz felt they could step forward and reveal Alton's innocence.

Alton was transferred from prison to the Cook County Jail, where he was taken to court and a judge quickly ordered him freed. Alton wept. He walked out of the court house a free man for the first time in 26 years, wearing pants that were too large for him. His aunt walked behind him holding up his pants because he did not have a belt. I would have walked out of there in my underwear if necessary. I was just so happy to be free, he says.

Alton at first went to live at his aunt's house, where he was confused by the operation of a cell phone, flummoxed by a single handle tub faucet. He was penniless and did not have a single piece of identification. But he was delighted just to be able to touch a tree, to eat what he wanted to eat, to go to bed when he wanted to.

In April, a judge issued a Certificate of Innocence. Still, Alton has had a rough time since his release. Guilty ex-convicts who complete their sentences receive reintegration assistance from the state, but innocent ex-convicts are not entitled to those same services.

That is why we are asking for your help. Alton is receiving no assistance from the state. He is unemployed. He has not been compensated in any way for the 26 years he remained behind bars. He is surviving with the help of friends and family members. He struggles daily to catch up with all the changes that have taken place in American society since he was sent to prison.

Alton is working hard to get back on his feet, but it's not easy. Employers are hesitant to hire him because of his prison record, despite the fact that he was pronounced innocent. Because of the economic recession, jobs are hard to find. The skills he picked up in prison, in air conditioning and heating installation are rusty.

That's why we are asking for your help. We have established an organization to help Alton. Any donation that you can give would mean a great deal to Alton. We call upon you to join with us in helping a man who has been so terribly wronged by our criminal justice system. Finally, at long last, Alton is free.

Sincerely,

Mary Jo Cain-Reis & Nancy Traver
Co-Chairs