The new law marks “a major stride in criminal legal reform and accountability to those who are wrongfully convicted and imprisoned,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a video statement.
“This bill has helped put one piece of my fractured life together,” Soto said. “That cushion will make my life a little easier, but in no way does any amount of money give me back the years that I’ve lost.”
Soto and cousin David Ayala were 20 and 18 when they were arrested following the shooting deaths of 16-year-old Julie Limas and Hector Valeriano, 18, a U.S. Marine on leave, in 1981. They were sentenced to natural life in prison before they were exonerated and released in 2023.
Soto said he would be eligible for the new payout limits and planned to put it toward “a decent apartment” and costs associated with law school.
He advocated for the bill with other exonerees and the Illinois Innocence Project, he said, “for everyone who comes after me.”
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