[3] Subsequently, led by David Protess, professor and founder of Northwestern University's Medill Innocence Project, a group of undergraduate journalism students executed a re-investigation of Porter's case.
The students claimed to have found the real killer, and through their efforts, Anthony Porter was released from prison and became the face of the anti-death penalty movement.
His defense attorney, Jack Rimland, was a friend and colleague of Paul Ciolino, and encouraged Simon to accept a plea deal despite his innocence.
It was not until October 2013, and due in part to the investigation conducted for A Murder in the Park, that the Cook County State's Attorney's office reopened the case.
[5] The documentary addresses many questionable actions by members of the Medill Innocence Project, including the possibility that they neglected to interview eyewitnesses from Anthony Porter's original case, and instead relied on their own findings and experiments.
A Murder in the Park was selected for Time magazine's list of “15 of the Most Fascinating True Crime Stories Ever Told” in 2016.