Case Explained: Notre Dame Exoneration Justice Clinic Client Reginald “Reggie” Dillard Exonerated After 27 Years of Wrongful Imprisonment | News | The Law School – Legal Perspective

Reginald “Reggie” Dillard, a client of the Notre Dame Law School Exoneration Justice Clinic (EJC), was exonerated on Monday, February 23, after spending 27 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Dillard was convicted of murder in 2000 based on the 1998 shooting of Christopher Thomas in Elkhart, Indiana, and was sentenced to 65 years in prison. A Special Prosecutor, Marshall County elected prosecutor Nelson Chipman, agreed to vacate Dillard’s conviction on Thursday, February 19, and Judge Christopher Spataro signed the order dismissing the criminal charges, officially exonerating Dillard.

The EJC filed a petition for post-conviction relief on Dillard’s behalf in Elkhart County Superior Court in July 2022. Extensive litigation followed, including proceedings before the Indiana Supreme Court in which the clinic requested the assignment of an impartial judge. After a Special Judge and a Special Prosecutor were appointed, the court held a two-day evidentiary hearing that began last Wednesday, February 18, and concluded on Thursday, February 19.

The EJC presented new evidence at the evidentiary hearing last week. Following the close of evidence, the Special Prosecutor concluded that Dillard’s constitutional rights under Brady v. Maryland had been violated through the withholding of material exculpatory evidence and agreed that his conviction should be vacated. The court entered an order vacating Dillard’s murder conviction, and the following morning, the State moved to dismiss the charges, acknowledging that the evidence did not support retrying the case.

The petition for post-conviction relief filed in 2022 alleged serious misconduct in the investigation and prosecution of the case. Dillard asserted that former Elkhart Police Department Detective Stephen Rezutko fabricated witness statements and maintained an undisclosed sexual relationship with a key witness against Dillard. Following an internal affairs investigation, the Elkhart Police Department found that Rezutko engaged in improper sexual conduct with informants in criminal cases, but this information was not disclosed to defendants, including Dillard, for decades. Dillard also alleged that exculpatory and impeachment evidence was withheld, including benefits provided to key witnesses and compelling evidence implicating two other men in Thomas’s murder.

In a message to the entire EJC team on the morning of Dillard’s release, Professor Jimmy Gurulé, founder and director of Notre Dame Law School’s Exoneration Justice Clinic, wrote: “As you know, last Thursday, following a two-day evidentiary hearing, Judge Christopher Spataro vacated Reginald Dillard’s 2000 wrongful murder conviction. This morning Judge Spataro dismissed the criminal charges against Reggie with prejudice and ordered his immediate release from custody. As the result of the hard work of many of our clinic students, past and present, Reggie has been officially exonerated. Later today, Reggie will regain his freedom and be reunited with his family and friends.”

Immediately after his release, Dillard spoke to members of the EJC who gathered outside the prison to welcome him home, offering a heartfelt message of gratitude and hope.

“Thank you. I’ve got a lot of people that care for me,” Dillard said. “There was a time when I was the voiceless, and now I’ve become a voice for the voiceless, and I plan on being that voice.”

EJC staff attorney Kevin Murphy emphasized the broader significance of the exoneration while speaking with Dillard and members of the clinic team outside the prison.

“It’s a day that we also must take to look at this Elkhart criminal justice system and make it better and take a step forward,” said Murphy. “Reggie’s freedom and Reggie’s exoneration today is a huge step along that path. It never would have been possible without so many, especially Elliot Slosar, Reggie’s lead attorney, Professor Jimmy Gurulé with the Exoneration Justice Clinic, and so many Notre Dame law students who fought to help this evidence come to light and help Reggie be free.”

Murphy also addressed Dillard directly: “Reggie, today is your day. This is your story, this is your life. You get to write the ending to it.”

Dillard’s case has been one of the clinic’s longest-running matters. Even before the clinic was formally established, Slosar and some volunteer students had been working on Dillard’s case as early as 2018.

Several EJC students played crucial roles in the evidentiary hearing. Third-year law student Andrew Zimlich presented a key piece of evidence that contributed to Dillard’s exoneration.

“It has been an honor and a blessing to play a part in Reggie’s exoneration effort,” said Zimlich. “This victory speaks to the hard work of the many students and attorneys who poured their energy and passion into doing justice no matter the obstacles. I will forever be inspired by the incredible grace and resilience that Reggie showed in the face of unimaginable hardship, and I have no doubt that he will go on to inspire countless others.”

Third-year law student Albert Kwon also presented evidence in the case.

“After almost three decades, Reginald Dillard finally walks free,” said Kwon. “It was my honor to contribute to that effort, and his exoneration is a testament to the power of hard work and hope. This result is also a reminder of why the EJC continues to inspire: its mission to correct injustice even in the most difficult, long-fought cases.”

Gurulé praised the clinic team that investigated and litigated the case, including Murphy, staff attorney Lenora Popken, legal staff assistant Anne Peterson, and adjunct professor Slosar. He also acknowledged that, along with Zimlich and Kwon, several other clinic students contributed to Dillard’s exoneration.

Dillard’s exoneration is the EJC’s fourth exoneration, after the exonerations of Kara Beaty in April 2025, Anthony Bedolla in August 2024, and Andy Royer in July 2021. Notably, it is the EJC’s third straight exoneration that was achieved with the agreement of the prosecutors on the case. Since its founding, the EJC has remained committed to criminal justice reform, litigating wrongful conviction cases, and educating the public about miscarriages of justice.

Learn more about Notre Dame Law School’s Exoneration Justice Clinic at exoneration.nd.edu.