Matt Sopron Murder Conviction Overturned: State's Attorney

CHICAGO, IL — After he spent 20 years behind bars, Matt Sopron's double murder conviction has been overturned. After two co-defendants gave new testimony on the 1995 killing of two 13-year-old girls, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office said, prosecutors requested his conviction vacated.

The Cook County State's Attorney's Office decided to overturn the conviction after co-defendants Eric Anderson and Nicholas Morfin gave "compelling testimony," refuting Sopron's involvement in the killing of Carrie Hovel and Helena Martin, the office said in a statement to Patch.

"Based on that testimony and in the interest of justice, the State’s Attorney’s Office asked Judge Timothy J. Joyce to vacate Sopron’s conviction and dismiss the charges," the statement reads.

"Finally, justice," Sopron's mother, Pat, said after the decision, according to a Chicago Tribune report.

In 1995, Anderson, then 15, was a part of the Almighty Popes street gang and had fired a gun at members of the Ridgeway Lords, a rival gang, reports say. During the shooting, Carrie Hovel and Helena Martin, both 13, were sitting in a van nearby an elementary school riding with members of the Ridgeway Lords, the Chicago Sun Times reported. They were both hit by gunfire and killed.

Authorities alleged that Sopron, now 45, was the leader of the Almighty Popes and that he had ordered the hit that resulted in the girls' deaths. Anderson and Morfin testified against Sopron, resulting in the conviction.

But Anderson's newest testimony refutes that allegation. “Matt Sopron had nothing to do with the murders,” Anderson's statement reads, the Tribune reports. “I will testify in court or talk to anyone about this. He should not be in prison for this.”

Sopron’s attorney, Patrick Walsh, said at a news conference that "every single witness" claimed to have lied back then due to threats or promises. "Even bad guys sometimes have a conscience," he said.

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Photo credit: CBS Chicago YouTube screenshot / IDOC