Inmate Name: Carmen Ortiz
Charge: First-degree murder
Sentence: 25 years in prison
Prison: Lincoln Correctional Center, Lincoln, Illinois

Carmen was born and raised in the North side of Chicago in a diverse area known as Logan Square. She was the oldest of six brothers and had a special bond with her siblings. But Carmen struggled in adolescence. She got pregnant at age 15, dropped out of high school and had her daughter Jasmin, a year later. Carmen?s life then began a downhill slide into increasing drug abuse. By the time she was in her mid 20s, she was strung out on heroin.

In January 1998, Carmen met a fellow drug user and gang member named Oswaldo Gonzalez. Soon Carmen started disappearing for hours to do drugs with Gonzalez. Finally Jasmin?s father took full custody of their 10 year-old daughter, but not even losing her child was enough for Carmen stop using drugs.

Carmen?s sister attempted to help her kick her habit after finding her on the streets begging for money, but Carmen soon was back chasing her addiction. Jobless and broke, Carmen soon turned to robbery with Oswaldo in order to buy more drugs. After several successful thefts, their attempts turned violent.

On March 22 at 10pm just a few miles from Carmen?s apartment, Oswaldo attacked a man outside of a Blockbuster, but the robbery failed when the man ran away. At 3:00am on March 23, they saw a drunken Polish immigrant outside a liquor store. Ozzie told Carmen to be his lookout while he robbed the man. Antoni Rafalo put up a fight and Ozzie stabbed him to death. Rafalo sustained wounds to his lower chest and upper back, and was left for dead, while Ozzie and Carmen ran off in different directions.

While police investigated the murder, Oswaldo continued his rash of burglaries and would return home to share the drugs with Carmen. On April 10, 1998, Oswaldo attacked a judge on his way to court, but the judge was saved when a woman driving by began to honk her horn.

Meanwhile, Carmen was brought in for questioning for the robberies. Police realized they had a bigger crime on their hands when Carmen confessesd to being present at the murder of Antoni Rafalo. Carmen?s defense attorney contended that her confession was coerced because she was going through serious drug withdrawal and would have said anything to get out of there and get a fix.

In a one-day bench trial, Carmen?s own confession was the strongest evidence against her. The judge convicted her of felony murder and she was sentenced to 25 years. Oswaldo Gonzalez decided to forego a trial and pled guilty to all counts.

Carmen Ortiz is presently serving out her sentence at Lincoln Correctional Center. She will be released in two and a half years.