Judge clears way for release of man convicted of killing cop in 1976

A Cook County judge on Wednesday cleared the way for the release of a man who has been in prison for more than four decades for the fatal shooting of a Chicago police officer.

In resentencing Ronnie Carrasquillo to time served for the October 1976 murder of Chicago police Officer Terrence Loftus, Associate Judge Alfredo Maldonado made clear that Carrasquillo was not innocent and called Loftus a hero who “ran toward danger.”

But the judge said he was convinced that Carrasquillo is not the same person that he was when he shot and killed Loftus at 18, a crime that garnered him a prison sentence of 200 to 600 years.

“You have changed. You are a different man than you were Oct. 10, 1976,” Maldonado told Carrasquillo moments before announcing the sentence. “You have made great strides (at) rehabilitation.”

Clad in olive green jail garb, Carrasquillo, 65, briefly addressed the court minutes before the ruling, saying, “I corrected myself as much as I could.”

Early Wednesday…