Crime & Safety
Twin Confesses To Chicago Murder, Brother Freed After 20 Years
Kevin Dugar had been in the Cook County Jail for 20 years before his twin brother, Karl Smith, said he killed a rival gang member in 2003.
CHICAGO — A man who spent 20 years in prison after being convicted of killing a rival gang member in 2003 was released this week after his twin brother confessed to the crime, according to a published report.
Kevin Dugar was released from Cook County Jail and is now free after his twin brother, Karl Smith, now says he was the one who shot and killed a gang member and injured another person in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, ABC 7 reported.
Smith is already serving a 99-year sentence for his participation in a violent home invasion in which a child was shot in the head. His confession had previously been deemed not credible.
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The Northwest Center of Wrongful Conviction, based at Northwestern University, appealed the decision and on Tuesday morning, a judge reviewed the case and determined Dugar should be released, ABC 7 reported.
An email seeking comment from the Northwest Center of Wrongful Conviction, which appealed after Dugar was denied a new trial, was not immediately returned to Patch on Thursday.
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