Chicago Police Torture Case: Suit alleges Daley knew about Burge torture

The Chicago Tribune reports:

A man released from prison earlier this year after he was allegedly tortured into confessing to a 1986 rape and murder sued former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge, a host of detectives and law enforcement officials and Mayor Richard Daley, alleging they conspired to coerce false confessions that sent him and dozens of other men to prison.
Michael Tillman, 44, spent more than 23 years in prison until he was released in January when a special prosecutor declined to retry him for the 1986 murder of Betty Howard, saying there was no evidence to convict him and that there was ample evidence that his statement was the product of torture. He has since obtained a certificate of innocence, similar to a pardon.

In a federal lawsuit filed today, Tillman alleged he was beaten, burned, smothered and threatened with death over the course of four days until he gave a false confession to Howard's murder and rape in fear for his life. The suit alleged that Daley, then the Cook County state's attorney, knew about allegations of torture by Burge for years and that the primary piece of evidence against Tillman was his confession but still chose to seek the death penalty anyway.

The suit comes just weeks after a federal jury convicted Burge of perjury and obstruction of justice for lying about his use or knowledge of torture of criminal suspects.

No word yet from former Chief of Detectives William Hanhardt. Would you call Chicago, a "progressive" city?