Man cleared in Chicago homicide teaches civics after spending 14 years in prison

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) – A man who spent 14 years in prison for a Chicago murder he didn’t commit now gives back to the community by teaching citizens the tools they need to participate in the civic process.

Omar Muhammad, formerly known as Omar Saunders, teaches free government and civics classes, a topic he dove deep into when he was locked up.

“I teach them the Constitution and all of that stuff, so they can understand that,” he said.

In 1988, Muhammad and three other teens — known collectively as the Roscetti 4 — were sentenced to life behind bars for the kidnapping, rape and murder of Chicago medical student, 23-year-old Lori Roscetti.

A teen when he entered the Illinois Department of Corrections, Muhammad was oblivious to how his local, state and federal governments operated. He studied all he could while on the inside, and when he walked out a free and innocent man, he took a wealth of knowledge with him.

“I was fortunate when I was in prison to run into these minds,” he said. “And it changed my whole perspective. I learned that I am in one of the greatest countries on Earth.”

The classes Muhammad teaches are primarily aimed at the African American community. He says marginalized African American youth especially need to hear his message.

“There’s obligations, duties and responsibilities that we all have,” he said. “The first obligation and duty that you have in a republic is to yourself.”

Muhammad’s conviction decades ago, when he was 19, hung largely on false confessions by two codefendants, Marcellius Bradford and Calvin Ollins.

“They needed people to fit the profile,” he said of how the investigation was conducted. “They fabricated the case. They made up the whole confessional. … [The police] wrote it up and had them sign it.”

Omar was exonerated after DNA evidence proved he, Bradford, and cousins Calvin and Larry Ollins, did not commit the crime. The two men who killed Lori Roscetti were arrested in 2002.

“We were young,” Muhammad said. “We were marginalized. We were kids that were getting in trouble. We were burglarizing and stuff like that. That’s what I did when I was younger—17 years old. I regret that stuff.”

Instead of coming out of prison bitter, Muhammad went to college, started investing in real estate and in 2019 wrote a book about the case . He moved to Rockford in 2004.

Anyone interested in taking classes is encouraged to call Omar Muhammad at 779-772-2168.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.