Welcome to Rungful Conviction False Confessions.

I'm Laura Nyrider.

And I'm Steve Drizen.

Last week we told you the story of Robert Davis,

a false confession case that happened in Virginia.

Today we're going to tell you about a case out of Chicago,

the story of a violent and tragic crime that took the life of a young girl.

But there's a larger reason why we want to talk about this case,

because of what it also took from not one,

but five innocent teenage boys and from their families and communities.

This case happened during what we now call the Super Predator Era,

the 1980s and 1990s.

The news media was saturated with stories of urban crime,

drugs and gangs.

And in particular, sensationalized stories about black and brown youth

committing violent crimes in groups.

This narrative is often associated with New York City.

It drove the wrongful prosecution of the so-called Central Park 5 Wolf Pack.

But it didn't stop there.

Today we're going to tell you about a group of teenage boys whose false confessions

transformed them into Chicago's own wolf pack.

They're known as the Dixmore 5.

...