Alsip Man Found Guilty of Murdering FBI Informant

Jerry Henderson, 41, was convicted of shooting and FBI informant to death during undercover gun and grenade sale.

An Alsip man accused of shooting an FBI informant twice in the head, who was cooperating in an active undercover investigation in 2006, was found guilty, Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez said in news release. Connect with Patch: Oak Lawn / Beverly-Mt. Greenwood / Evergreen Park A Cook County jury handed down a guilty verdict for first-degree murder to Jerry Henderson, 41, on Tuesday. Henderson was convicted of shooting and killing Timothy Forrest, 41, in May 2006. Forrest was shot to death when he met with Henderson in a car in a parking lot outside the Dolton Animal Hospital as FBI agents monitored the meeting nearby, the Associated Press reported at the time. Prosecutors said that Forrest had agreed to purchase firearms and …

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Court Watch: Woman Killed in DUI Accident on Witness List

Also: 15 months later, Kustok murder investigation continues; man accused of New Lenox murder shows faith in his attorney; and a probable-cause hearing in the Painted Pastures raid.

TINLEY PARK — As pretrial hearings begin, the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office has filed a list of 52 witnesses whose testimony could be used against Nicholas J. Gorny, who has pleaded not guilty to his involvement in a DUI accident in August that killed a 70-year-old Tinley Park woman. She reportedly died of injuries related to the accident on Sept. 27 — but has been included on a list of possible witnesses, alongside area doctors, police officers, firefighters and one of Gorny's relatives.  Gorny posted bond earlier this month after a judge reduced bail from $250,000 to $150,000. He’s scheduled back in court on Jan. 11, 2012. OAK LAWN — Contrary to court testimony last month, prosecutors were still gathering evidence as of Tuesday …

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Community Activist Accused of Petition Fraud Due In Court Tuesday

First pre-trial hearing after arraignment and bond for former Oak Lawn Tax Watch chair charged with forging signatures on referendum petition.

The 69-year-old community activist indicted last month on charges that she filed fraudulent election petitions in an attempt to get a referendum on the ballot is due in court Tuesday morning. Myrna Jurcev, the former chair of Oak Lawn Tax Watch, was charged with one felony count of mutilation of election materials, and the misdemeanor offense of disregard of election code. SEE THE Oak Lawn Tax Watch Referendum Timeline  According to a Cook County criminal complaint, Cook County State's Attorney investigators discovered that Jurcev’s 96-year-old mother circulated 85 of the 132 petition sheets. Prosecutors say that Jurcev changed her story when first confronted about the fraudulent signatures that her mother circulated the petitions to …

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Frankfort Teen Pleads Not Guilty to Burglary Charges

Joseph Brynda, whose bond was recently revoked in connection with a 2009 fatal crash in Tinley Park, will return to court Jan. 26 on charges stemming from a Nov. 13 incident in Oak Lawn.

After recently having had his bond revoked in connection with a fatal 2009 car crash, a Frankfort teen pleaded not guilty Monday to two counts of burglary, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. Joseph A. Brynda, 19, was arrested Nov. 13 after Oak Lawn police said he stole an iPhone and $16 from a vehicle parked at the Oak Lawn Pavilion, 9401 S. Oak Park Ave. Brynda's attorney asked Monday for a continuance in the case, and the teen's next court date was set for Jan. 26. In November 2009, Brynda was charged with aggravated driving under the influence and reckless homicide after his car hit a Blue Island man walking to a Metra station in Tinley Park. As a result of the recent arrest, a Cook County Circuit Court judge found…

Sun-Times: Woman Charged in $600K Theft from Oak Lawn Firm

A woman employed by an established Oak Lawn accounting firm has been charged with theft of more than $500,000.

The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that the Cook County State's Attorney's office has charged a  46-year-old woman for stealing $600,000 from a healthcare consulting firm in Oak Lawn. Tina Castenada, of Midlothian, was charged with one count of theft of more than $500,000. Castenada worked for the certified public accounting firm of Disteldorf Ltd. at 5017 W. 95th St. for 11 years. The company's website said that the firm was founded in 1954 by Donald Disteldorf. According to the Sun-Times, Castenada managed the funds of the Nash Group, located at the same address in Oak Lawn. She stands accused of siphoning off $605,286, which she used to pay credit card bills. The thefts occurred between 2004 and 2010. Bail for the woman was set at $75,…