Death row inmate Andrew Maxwell, who has long claimed...

Death row inmate Andrew Maxwell, who has long claimed that police tortured him into confessing the 1986 murder of a cabdriver, pleaded guilty in a deal that spares his life in exchange for dropping those allegations. Maxwell, 35, and a handful of other death row inmates are among those who have alleged Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge and other officers in the former Burnside Area beat and tortured them until they confessed. Under the plea agreement Friday, Circuit Judge Themis Karnezis sentenced Maxwell to 75 years for the murder of Adrian Bracy and several armed robberies. Maxwell could be released in about 27 years. (see also Dec. 17)