FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi has appointed Steven D. Weinhoeft to serve as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. Weinhoeft, returns to the role he held from 2018 to 2022, bringing decades of experience in federal law enforcement and complex litigation to the position.

“I am honored and excited to return to this role to serve the people of the Southern District of Illinois,” said Weinhoeft. “I look forward to working with Attorney General Bondi, our talented team, and our law enforcement partners to uphold the rule of law with integrity and resolve.”

Weinhoeft has served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois since February 2008, holding multiple leadership roles, including United States Attorney (2018–2022), First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Chief of the Criminal Division, and Supervisor of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and Dangerous Drugs Division.

Weinhoeft has built a career spanning nearly 29 years. Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he spent more than a decade at the Sangamon County (Ill.) State’s Attorney’s Office, including serving as its First Assistant State’s Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Division. He has significant trial experience, and his expertise includes broad areas of state and federal law, including violent crime, multi-district and international drug conspiracies, public corruption, national security, and complex financial crimes. He has technical experience serving as the office’s criminal Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Coordinator. He also serves as the Digital Asset Coordinator with specialized expertise in cryptocurrency and blockchain issues.

The Southern District of Illinois covers 38 counties in southern Illinois and serves approximately 1.2 million people. The district has offices in East St. Louis, Benton, and Fairview Heights.

As U.S. Attorney, Weinhoeft will again serve as the chief federal law enforcement official representing the United States in all civil and criminal litigation. His appointment took effect on Feb. 28, 2025, and he was formally sworn into the position by Chief United States District Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel at a ceremony Monday.

• The Illinois Innocence Project based at the University of Illinois Springfield assisted with the case.
• Jerry Herrington was convicted in the 1991 murder in Chicago.
• Two witnesses have come forward to identify the perpetrator in the case.

A Chicago man who spent nearly three decades in prison after being convicted of murder as a teenager was fully exonerated by a Cook County judge on Tuesday.

Jerry Herrington was represented by the Illinois Innocence Project (IIP) based at the University of Illinois Springfield.

The project was founded at the university in 2001 and has brought freedom to 27 individuals in the state, according to a news release.

More: Illinois Innocence Project founder sees students’ lives ‘changed by this work’

Herrington, 45, completed his prison sentence in 2020.

Tuesday’s decision by Judge Alfredo Maldonado came with an agreement from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

It meant that Herrington’s murder conviction had been vacated and all charges dismissed.

Herrington was represented in court by senior staff attorney Leanne Beyer; legal director Lauren Kaeseberg and staff attorney Brandon Klages, all from the IIP. IIP senior staff investigator Lynn Bagley provided critical investigation in the case.

Herrington was 16 when he was accused of shooting a woman in Chicago in 1991.

According to the release, evidence showed that Chicago Police officers “punched and slapped” Herrington while he was detained and denied his request to call relatives.

Officers said that Herrington had verbally confessed to the shooting although he never signed a written confession, and no recording of the interrogation was made. Herrington maintained he didn’t offer a confession.

A 16-year-old informant claimed to have witnessed the shooting, but the first and only time he identified Herrington as the culprit was from the witness stand.

Two new credible witnesses have come forward, stating they saw the shooting and knew the identity of the real perpetrator but were afraid to say anything at the time of the shooting.

Officers who investigated this case and abused Herrington are now the subject of numerous allegations regarding systematic misconduct and abuse, as well as fabricated evidence, according to the release.

“Jerry was just a child when he was wrongfully imprisoned,” Beyer said. “He and his family are overjoyed about his exoneration. Their journey through the justice system has taken way too long. We appreciate the efforts made by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to investigate this case and for their willingness to right this wrong after more than three decades.”

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788: sspearie@sj-r.com: X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

Members of Congress are allowed to bring guests to the State of the Union or joint addresses to Congress. For President Donald Trump’s speech Tuesday night, Democrats largely invited federal workers who were affected by cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Other Democratic guests included recipients of Medicaid that could lose their benefits under House Republicans’ budget, business owners impacted by Trump’s tariffs, first responders and Israeli hostages.

Multiple Congressional Democrats from Illinois invited guests who were affected by DOGE cuts.

U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen from Moline said he brought James Diaz, a disabled veteran who was unexpectedly laid off as a result of actions taken by the Trump administration. U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, who represents suburban Deerfield, is bringing Adam Mulvey, a 20-year Army veteran who was fired from his job at Lovell Federal Health Care Center due to DOGE directives.

U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, whose district spans from Champaign down to St. Clair County, said her guest is meant to symbolize the potential harm she believes the Trump administration will do to the U.S. Department of Education. Budzinski’s guest, Lisa Quandt to be her guest, is a special education teacher in Belleville.

“As a dedicated special education teacher, Lisa is a true hero in our community, working tirelessly to help Belleville students learn and grow. I hope that her attendance reminds the President of the real people who are suffering because of his actions,” Budzinski said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, who lives in Naperville, invited Joe Jackson to be his guest. Jackson’s organization, Aurora-based Hesed House, helps people experiencing homelessness.

“Joe’s leadership in addressing and preventing homelessness is crucial, especially as the Trump Administration and Elon Musk attempt to unlawfully withhold funding from community organizations and slash federal programs that Illinoisans rely on,” Foster said in a statement.

A Republican congressman from Illinois, U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, also released information about his guest to the president’s speech. Bost invited Judy Repking, an anti-abortion advocate and board member of Effington Area Right to Life.