Man Freed After Judge Grants New Trial In 1995 Naperville Arson Murder

NAPERVILLE, IL – On Tuesday, 62-year-old William Amor walked out of jail for the first time in more than two decades. Amor was released from the DuPage County Jail May 30 after posting bond in the 1995 arson murder of his mother-in-law. He was convicted in 1997.

In April, DuPage County Judge Liam Brennan vacated Amor's sentence based on the testimony of three fire experts, who stated that the fire that killed Marianne Miceli could not have started the way Amor described in his 1995 confession.

Amor — whose lawyers said the confession came after two weeks in jail, 15 hours of questioning and being served with divorce papers — told police that he used vodka and a lit cigarette to set Miceli's Naperville condo on fire. Last month, Brennan said experts have called that description of events "scientifically impossible."

"It's overwhelming. I'm taking it hour by hour," a newly freed Amor told reporters Tuesday, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Amor is scheduled to be retried in September for the death of Miceli, 40, who was partially disabled due to a childhood accident.

Amor's lawyers said he was coerced into confessing. The Illinois Innocence Project has been representing Amor for the last five years, working to have his conviction overturned.

"On September 10, 1995, a fire broke out in the Naperville condo Bill shared with his wife, Tina and his mother in law, Marianne," the Innocence Project's page on Amor states. "Bill and his wife left for the movies and shortly thereafter, Marianne called 911 for help, stating that a chair was on fire and she couldn’t get out of the condo. The authorities believed that it was a suspicious fire because it was a fast, hot fire and there were no obvious signs of accidental ignition. ... Recent developments in the scientific community of fire investigation have discredited the investigators’ theory that Bill’s alleged actions caused the fire. The original investigation relied upon many of the now debunked myths of arson investigations."

After vacating Amor's conviction, Brennan reset his bond at $100,000. Supporters came up with the 10 percent — $10,000 — needed to free Amor, according to the Tribune.

Amor was originally sentenced to 45 years for Miceli's death.

Photo via Illinois Innocence Project, University of Illinois Springfield