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Prosecutors: Planned prisoner visit a 'treat'; Memos hint trip by female former student arranged by staff Chicago
Tribune, December 1, 2010 Wednesday, NEWS ; ZONE C; Pg. 8, (434 words), By Matthew Walberg, Tribune
reporter

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1 of 1 DOCUMENT
Chicago Tribune
December 1, 2010 Wednesday
Chicagoland Final Edition

Prosecutors: Planned prisoner visit a 'treat';
Memos hint trip by female former student arranged by staff
BYLINE: By Matthew Walberg, Tribune reporter
SECTION: NEWS ; ZONE C; Pg. 8
LENGTH: 434 words
Prosecutors on Tuesday unveiled documents that suggested students and staff with Northwestern University's Medill Innocence Project arranged a visit from a female student as a "treat" for a prisoner, in addition to
making unspecified promises, before he recanted his testimony in a 1993 murder and armed robbery case.
The filing included three memos and an e-mail sent by students of Northwestern journalism professor David
Protess to an attorney representing convicted murderer Armando Serrano, who is seeking a new trial.
The memos include suggestions that Francisco Vicente, who testified against Serrano but later recanted to
the students, was upset that a private detective who works with Protess failed to come through with unspecified "considerations."
In addition, an e-mail sent by a student investigating the Serrano case stated that a female former student
agreed to join a visit to Vicente in prison after he requested her presence.
"(The woman), a previous student of David's who worked on the case and formed a good relationship with
(Vicente), will accompany us as a 'treat' for him, since he has requested to see her again," the student wrote
in an April 2004 e-mail to Serrano's lawyer, Jeffrey Urdangen, a Northwestern law professor.
The woman's name, like those of the other students, was redacted from the motion.
The motion follows the state's efforts last year to obtain similar information in a separate case in which
Protess and his students have alleged a convicted murderer is innocent.
In both cases, the state is arguing that it is entitled to all memos compiled by students during the investigation, not just those that were turned over to attorneys from the university's Center on Wrongful Convictions.
Circuit Judge Maura Slattery Boyle did not grant the state's request that Northwestern turn over additional
documents in the Serrano case and gave Urdangen until Jan. 10 to file his response to the motion.
Northwestern spokesman Alan Cubbage declined to comment on Tuesday's filing.
Protess said he was unaware of the e-mail describing the female former student as a "treat."

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Prosecutors: Planned prisoner visit a 'treat'; Memos hint trip by female former student arranged by staff
Chicago Tribune December 1, 2010 Wednesday
"If I did see it, I would have told the student that that was inappropriate," said Protess, who accused the state
of trying to divert attention from questions about Serrano's conviction.
The revelations were the latest in a series of embarrassing disclosures about the methods employed by
Protess' students.
Sources told the Tribune last month that the university has launched a probe into Protess and his program,
but Protess said he has been told it is a review and welcomes the scrutiny.
mwalberg@tribune.com
NOTES: CHICAGOLAND
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper
SUBJECT: CORRECTIONS (90%); EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION EMPLOYEES (90%); COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS (90%); STUDENTS & STUDENT LIFE (90%); MURDER (89%); LAWYERS (89%);
CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS (89%); INVESTIGATIONS (89%); TESTIMONY (89%); LAW SCHOOLS (78%);
INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES (74%); JUDGES (74%); ROBBERY (57%)
ORGANIZATION: NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY (91%)
LOAD-DATE: December 1, 2010
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