Years in jail for murder, until identical twin brother confesses: ‘It was I who shot’ | Abroad

Kevin Dugar was convicted in 2005 of murder after a shooting two years earlier on Chicago’s North Side. He was sentenced to 54 years in prison. Last Tuesday, January 26, he left the Cook County Jail a free man around 9:30 p.m. How is that possible? By a confession from his own twin brother.

His brother, Karl Smith, wrote a letter to Kevin revealing that it was he who fired the fatal shot that night in 2003. Strikingly, it was not the first time that Karl, who is currently serving a prison sentence for another shooting, confessed to the facts. In 2013, he also did that once, but a judge did not believe the confession. Kevin Dugar was then not given a new trial.

Now an appeals judge ruled that Dugar should be released, either on bail. After all, Dugar could still face charges if the state decides not to drop the case, his attorney Ronald Safer told ABC News. A new process will have to shed light on this.

“We are pleased that Judge William Hooks carefully considered all factors and released Kevin pending trial,” Safer said. “I am hopeful that the state will do the right thing and dismiss Kevin’s case.”

A photo from The Center on Wrongful Convictions shows Kevin enjoying a bowl of chicken thighs shortly after his release.

‘Deep wounds’

“Kevin is overjoyed to be free. But the adjustment is not easy. The wounds inflicted by the wrongful incarceration are deep, wide and lasting,” Safer told ABC News. “People think there would be undeniable joy when you get out after 20 years. There is joy, but it is accompanied by a large number of emotions.”

According to the lawyer, it is a difficult adjustment. “Fortunately, Kevin is strong and will endure just as he has all these years, for he found strength in the knowledge that he is innocent.”

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