Judge Throws Out Confession From 20-Year-Old Naperville Murder Case

On Thursday, DuPage County Judge Liam Brennan vacated the sentence of William Amor, who was convicted of murdering his mother-in-law, according to the Naperville Sun. Amor confessed to police that he started a fire in a Naperville apartment with vodka and a lit cigarette. Three fire experts cited new research that shows Amor could not have started a fire that way.

"There can be no question that the linchpin of the state's case at trial was the defendant's confession, which the state and the defense experts agree today is scientifically impossible," Brennan said, according to the Naperville Sun. Amor's lawyers said in a release that his confession came after "two weeks in jail, immediately followed by being served divorce papers at the station, and 15 hours of questioning." Some criminal justice experts say that innocent people can be forced to confess to crime they didn't commit.

Marianne Miceli, who was partially disabled from a childhood accident, died in September 1995 after a fire in the apartment she shared with her daughter and William Amor. Her daughter and Amor had left 10 minutes before the fire. Amor initially denied started the fire, but later said he dropped a cigarette on some vodka soaked newspapers.

DuPage County Prosecutors will have the opportunity to respond to the judge's ruling, and they could request a new trial. There will be a hearing on Thursday to determine if Amor will be released on parole while prosecutors determine their response.

Photo from the Illinois Department of Corrections