Reginald Henderson (left) and Sean Tyler (right) | Chicago Torture Justice Center (X)
Reginald Henderson (left) and Sean Tyler (right) | Chicago Torture Justice Center (X)
A federal judge has ordered a witness to appear in court after she failed to respond to a subpoena in the wrongful conviction case of brothers Sean Tyler and Reginald Henderson—two of five men originally convicted in the 1994 murder of 10-year-old Rodney Collins.
On June 6, U.S. District Judge Georgia Alexakis ordered witness Zelinka Bunch to appear before her on June 26, warning that “if Ms. Bunch fails to appear on 6/26/25, she risks, among other things, sanctions.”
The day prior, attorneys representing police officers named in the civil suit asked the judge to compel Bunch’s appearance, noting she had been subpoenaed to testify and failed to comply. According to court filings, Bunch was served at her home on March 8 and was ordered to appear for a deposition on May 22 at the offices of Rock Fusco & Connelly, LLC in Chicago. She did not appear or respond, the attorneys said.
Collins was killed in a gang-related crossfire while riding a new bike he had received for his birthday on Chicago’s South Side. Tyler and Henderson, along with Antoine Ward, Andrew Ganoway, and Michael Taylor, were convicted of the murder. Tyler spent 25 years in prison; Henderson served 26. Both were exonerated in 2021 by then-Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. The other three men remain incarcerated.
Tyler and Henderson allege in their civil complaints that police fabricated evidence and coerced witnesses to secure convictions. The lawsuits, originally filed separately and since consolidated, name multiple former police officers and Assistant State’s Attorneys.
In a recent ruling, Judge Alexakis also granted a request by attorneys for the ASAs to access prison phone logs. The defense argued the records could reveal the extent of communication between the plaintiffs and the three co-defendants who were not exonerated.
The judge agreed, writing that the logs could provide “necessary insight into the scope of those relationships,” even if the men were incarcerated at the same time, through calls involving representatives, family, or others tied to the case.
Tyler and Henderson are among hundreds exonerated during Foxx’s tenure, many of whom alleged they were tortured or framed by police. Numerous lawsuits have linked the misconduct to former Commander Jon Burge and detectives associated with him.
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