The People v. Newell

In 1964, Harold Newell pleaded guilty to the charge of murder in the circuit court of Cook County and was sentenced to the penitentiary for a term of 40 to 90 years. No direct appeal was taken but in 1966 he filed a pro se petition under the Illinois Post-Conviction Hearing Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1965, chap. 38, par. 122 — 1 et seq.), alleging a substantial denial of his constitutional rights. His petition charged, in substance, that a pretrial confession made by him “was the result of intimidation by a named member of the Chicago Police Department and a named official of the State’s Attorney’s…