Off Duty | The Guardian Investigates Off Duty: The Police
Mar 18, 2026
A deep investigation into the arrest and long confinement of Alex Villa after a Rosemont stabbing. Questions about questionable detectives and a troubled police culture emerge. New witnesses who claimed to overhear confessions are scrutinized. Missing digital records and undisclosed contacts raise doubts about how the case was built.
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Ambush After The Movie
- Alex Villa was ambushed after a movie showing and left with a broken hand and three stab wounds in a stairwell at a Rosemont theater.
- His friends walked past unharmed, suggesting the attackers singled out Alex rather than a random robbery.
Century Of Documented Police Misconduct
- Chicago policing has a long history of corruption spanning decades, including torture, frame-ups, and evidence manipulation.
- Melissa ties these historical scandals to present-day patterns of misconduct and costly settlements approaching half a billion dollars.
Detectives On The Case Had Troubled Records
- Lead investigators on the Lewis case — Anthony Noridan, James Gilger, and supervisor Sam Cerrone — each have past allegations of misconduct or supervisory failures.
- Gilger faced IG findings; Cerrone was reprimanded yet later promoted, showing weak accountability.