CHICAGO — Lawyers for a Gurnee man freed from a downstate correctional center following nearly 29 years of incarceration are filing a civil lawsuit on his behalf for wrongful conviction.
Attorneys with Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, and Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge, LLC plan to argue that Herman Williams’ wrongful conviction “was the result of a fabricated confession, manufactured and concealed evidence, and false testimony by law enforcement, public servants who had abandoned their professional and ethical obligations to falsely acquire this conviction to advance their careers.”
Williams was released from Sheridan Correctional Center on Sept. 6, 2022 after a Lake County judge threw out his conviction tied to the murder of his ex-wife, Penny Williams.
Williams’ body was found in a Waukegan pond near the Midlane Country Club on Sept. 26, 1993.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Gurnee man freed after 1994 murder conviction tossed
Prosecutors at the time argued Williams killed his ex-wife so he could take his children to California, where he was being restationed following his tenure at Great Lakes Naval Base.
Sentenced in 1994, the Navy veteran’s 2022 exoneration came after work with the Illinois Innocence Project. The case was overturned due to forensic re-examination, new DNA testing, and a demonstration of serial misconduct by law enforcement officials involved in the case, lawyers stated.
Carolyn Lagendorf, Herman Williams’ sister from Arizona, giving him a hearty hug. (Image: Illinois Innocence Project) 
Herman Williams just after his release, arriving with his attorneys, Vanessa Potkin, director of special litigation for the Innocence Project, left, and Lauren Kaeseberg, co-director of the Illinois Innocence Project. (Image: Illinois Innocence Project) 
From left, Sonny Williams, father of Herman Williams; Lauren Kaeseberg, co-director of the Illinois Innocence Project; Herman Williams; Vanessa Potkin, director of special litigation for the Innocence Project; and Carolyn Lagendorf, Herman Williams’ sister. Both his father and sister traveled from Arizona to be there for Herman’s release. (Image: Illinois Innocence Project) 
Herman Williams realizing the reality of freedom by standing in a cornfield, reaching out to touch one of the plants, outside of Sheridan, Ill., where he was being held. (Image: Illinois Innocence Project) 
Carolyn Lagendorf, Herman Williams’ sister from Arizona, giving him a hearty hug. (Image: Illinois Innocence Project) 
Herman Williams with Illinois Innocence Project client Angel Gonzalez. Both men were convicted in Lake County and then later exonerated with DNA evidence as a key part of their cases. Angel was freed in March 2015 after serving nearly 21 years for a crime he did not commit. (Image: Illinois Innocence Project) 
Herman Williams with the attorneys who represented him, Vanessa Potkin, director of special litigation for the Innocence Project, left, and Lauren Kaeseberg, co-director of the Illinois Innocence Project. (Image: Illinois Innocence Project)
The lawsuit names multiple defendants, including then-agents with the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, former Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Mermel (who resigned in 2012), and the estate of then-medical examiner Nancy Jones, who is deceased. In addition to misconduct, attorneys allege that members of the Task Force, Mermel and Jones, all fabricated evidence.
According to lawyers, one of the agents involved in the case, Sgt. Lou Tessmann, manufactured a confession that Herman never gave. In 2022, the State’s Attorney Office admitted to Tessman’s pattern of fabricating evidence, lawyers added.
The lawsuit was filed on Aug. 23. Cook and Lake counties, the city of Waukegan, and the villages of Gurnee, Libertyville, and Vernon Hills were also named.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
