Saturday, May 4, 2013
A Caribbean music record company owner has a drug dog's lack of punctuality to thank for getting him out of a felony pot charge, but he still couldn't get his marijuana back.
Martin Scott was looking at a possible 30-year prison sentence after a police dog found pot in the trunk of his car back in September 2011. But a Cook County judge decided this week that the 41 minutes a state trooper made Scott wait for the dog to show up was too long, and ruled that the marijuana could not be used as evidence against him. Without that evidence, prosecutors decided to drop the case. Scott, 52, said he is the owner of Kingston, Jamaica, based UIM Records. He also said he obtained his marijuana legally in California and asked if he could have it back. He was refused. Scott left the Markham courthouse a happy—and free—man, and strolled away puffing on his electronic cigarette. Not too many other people written about last …
Saturday, March 9, 2013
A Plainfield murder trial ended with a guilty verdict on the week's last day—and much, much more, in this edition of Court Supervision.
A week-long murder trial wrapped up with a guilty verdict Friday afternoon. The jury took two days to convict Ricardo Gutierrez, 23, of first-degree murder. Gutierrez gunned down Javier Barrios in October 2007 in Plainfield. Barrios was 18 when he was killed. Jury selection started Monday in the Will County Courthouse. Gutierrez's attorneys, Jeff Tomczak and Paul Napolski, said the killing was carried out in self-defense. That was just one of the things going on in court last week. There was also: Find all these stories and more on our Facebook page
Saturday, February 23, 2013
The week was packed with Drew Peterson, but it looks like we're not going to be seeing so much of him anymore.
It was Drew Peterson all day every day in the week that just ended. It started out with a hearing to see if he needs to have a new murder trial, and that hearing went on for another two days. A college professor and a retired judge both got on the witness stand and told how former Peterson attorney Joel Brodsky not only failed to provide effective counsel at this summer's murder trial, but also committed an ethical violation by entering into a publicity contract with his client. Brodsky's former law partner got up as well and claimed Brodsky physically attacked her in the Chicago office they shared. Even Brodsky had to testify, and told all about the 11 cents he and Peterson made off a website set up to solicit donations for the disgraced …
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Drew Peterson is either getting a new trial or he's heading to prison.
On Tuesday, the attorneys for Drew Peterson will make a final push to keep him out of prison by securing a new murder trial. Will County Judge Edward Burmila has set aside two days for the hearing, but some involved predict it will last much longer. If, at the conclusion of the hearing, Judge Burmila decides against calling for a new trial, he plans to head straight for sentencing. During the week that just ended, Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow took steps to avoid having to testify at Peterson's hearing. Glasgow filed court papers claiming that, as a prosecutor, special steps must be taken to force him to testify. He maintains Peterson's attorneys have failed to take those steps. That is just one of many issues to be addressed …
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
A new lawyer has joined the case of a former Oak Lawn Community High School student charged with helping to kill the mother and father of a friend.
The case against a Chicago Ridge teen charged with murder for allegedly driving the getaway car after the cowardly killing of a pal's sleeping parents was pushed back after a new lawyer jumped on board Tuesday. Chicago attorney Mohammad Ramadan entered his appearance but still has to get "up to speed" with the case against 18-year-old Mohammad Salahat, said Joel Brodsky, a lawyer already representing the teen. Salahat and three other young men—John Granat, 18, of Palos Township, Christopher Wyma, 18, of Bridgeview, and Ehab Qasem, 21, of Hickory Hills—all face murder charges for allegedly beating and stabbing Granat's parents to death in their bedroom. The four were arrested and have been held without bond at the Cook County Jail since …
Friday, September 7, 2012
Read all the latest coverage on the guilty verdict in the Drew Peterson case.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Drew Peterson pours his heart out in love letters from jail to a girl half his age. He goes to trial this coming week. Our friends at Bolingbrook Patch broke this story Saturday. It's worth a read.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Seven men and five women have been chosen as jurors for the trial set to start Tuesday.
The final five jurors and four alternate jurors were picked for Drew Peterson's much anticipated murder trial, and opening statements are expected to be heard Monday. Attorney Joel Brodsky said he will be the one handling opening statements for the defense and revealed his plan to tell "the story of Drew Peterson, from beginning to end." And when Brodsky is done with that story, said defense attorney Steve Greenberg, the jury will be convinced that Peterson did not murder his third wife, Kathleen Savio, by hitting her in the head and drowning her in a bathtub. "There's going to be no question she slipped in the tub and Drew was home when it happened," said Greenberg, who also scoffed at the idea that fresh bruises were discovered on Savio …
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Follow Joliet Patch's coverage of Drew Peterson trial. Eight jurors were chosen in ex-Bolingbrook cop's trial for the alleged murder of his third wife Kathleen Savio.
Will County Judge Edward Burmila held a marathon jury selection session Monday and empaneled eight jurors for the Drew Peterson murder trial. It was the very first day of jury selection and Burmila kept 31 of 40 prospective jurors for nearly 12 hours—past 9 p.m. Eight more people are needed for the 12-person jury and the four alternates. Peterson, who appeared in court in a gray jacket, dark pants, a new haircut—and without his trademark mustache—stands accused of murdering his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Savio was found drowned in a dry bathtub in March 2004. Depsite the tumultuous, occasionnally violent divorce she was going through with Peterson, and the strange circumstances of her death, the Illinois State Police quickly dismissed her…
ralph
12:57 pm on Sunday, May 12, 2013
That's the dumb laws in IL. and the barney fife's there,,,, that is why I got the hell out of there, the laws are way different here where I'm ,, a lot __________talk about carrying a gun ,I do 7 days a week because IT IS MY RIGHT TO DO SO if I need it I have it for protection, if you don't you may die and that is because obama turns all the illegals loose here and all over the us for you and i … more ›