The media has had time to analyze Gov. Quinn's signing of the death penalty repeal into law yesterday. Both the Tribune and the Sun-Times gave Quinn his propers for doing what they said was the right thing.The Tribune also writes that, despite Quinn's contention that signing the repeal was the "moral" thing to do, it was the question of accuracy that led to the ban. more ›

Since the General Assembly passed a bill outlawing execution as punishment for criminals in Illinois, Gov. Quinn has yet to take action on the bill. Quinn has said that he's considering the bill, although he hasn't indicated what he ultimately intends to do with it. more ›

A bit of editorializing: we aren't opposed to capital punishment because sometimes innocent men have been on Death Row in Illinois (although it does). Nor are we against it because the poor and minorities seem to get it more (although they do). Nor are we against it because it isn't the deterrent to major crimes its supporters claim. We're opposed to it for one simple, personal reason - if we're supposed to ostensibly be a democracy, then it's blood on our hands every time someone is put to death. more ›

What was that headline we wrote last week about the General Assembly taking care of business? They really are. With a little more than a day left in the current veto session, the state Senate voted to abolish the death penalty by a 32-35 margin. Lake Barrington Republican Sen. Dan Duffy, who voted in favor of abolition, said “The death penalty does not make society safer. To continue down a path which is flawed would be a critical mistake.” more ›

The measure in Springfield to bring a halt to the Death Penalty in Illinois to yet another step to reality today, when the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 7-4 in favor of getting rid of capital punishment. the move clears the way for a full vote on the bill in the Senate. Last week the House voted to abolish the death penalty. State Sen. Kwame Raoul, the bill's sponsor in the Senate, said that he feels there are enough votes for passage. more ›

The State Legislature has been all blades to the grindstone since reconvening in Springfield. It looks like they're on the verge of passing two major changes once the Senate reconvenes next week. First, Gov. Quinn and General Assembly leaders reached a deal on an increase in the state income tax by up to 75 percent and an increase on the cigarette tax of $1 per pack. But the more historic vote was the state House's vote to abolish the death penalty. The vote comes a decade after then-Gov. George Ryan placed a moratorium on the death penalty in Illinois; 20 men on Illinois' Death Row have been exonerated. more ›

Someone gave the folks in Springfield the remaining cases of Four Loko or something, 'cause they're moving with a purpose during the veto session. The House Judiciary II Criminal Law committee voted by a 4-3 measure yesterday to bring a proposal abolishing the death penalty to the full House. more ›

Kaushik Patel, the Glendale Heights man charged in the 2007 murder of his two young sons by burning them alive, has reached an agreement to plead guilty to the crimes in exchange for avoiding the death penalty. Patel made a similar deal in 2008 but prosecutors later rejected that original deal. more ›

Advocates to abolish the death penalty in Illinois ramped up their efforts to end capital punishment for good in the state on Thursday. The Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty held a rally in Springfield, urging lawmakers to move from a moratorium to a full ban on the practice. Illinois has had a moratorium on the death penalty since 2000. Some of this renewed interest in the issue is due to GOP Gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady. Brady is opposed to the moratorium and has said he would lift it if elected, provided that “adequate reforms” were put in place. Death penalty opponents however, have said the system is broken beyond repair. more ›

• A DuPage County jury has sentenced Edward Tenney to death for a 1992 murder.
• Jury selection kicked off today in Calvin Boender's case.
• Authorities weren't too amused with a bus prank pulled by a pair of East Aurora High students.

Serial killer Andre Crawford will serve a life sentence with no chance of parole for the rapes and murders of 11 South Side women, Chicago Breaking News reports. more ›

A judge today sentenced Brian Dugan to death for the 1983 murder of Jeanine Nicarico. All death penalty sentences in Illinois trigger an automatic appeal and Dugan's lawyer intends to fight this one. At issue is an original verdict reached by the jury in which two jurors were against issuing the death penalty. As the Tribune explains: more ›

After 10 hours of deliberation - and one false alarm - a jury has sentenced Brian Dugan to death for the 1983 murder of Jeanine Nicarico. [Tribune] more ›

"No longer is the boogeyman a fairy tale," said Thomas Nicarico to the jury gathered at the DuPage County courtroom on Friday. more ›

A pair of jurors held out and, after five hours of deliberation, the jury deciding James Degorski's fate came back with a sentence of life in prison. Degorski, convicted a few weeks ago for his role in the 1993 Brown's Chicken murders, could have faced the death penalty, which the prosecution was pushing for. In fact, according to the Sun-Times, 10 of the 12 jurors ultimately favored it but the two who voted against held firm, leading to the life sentence. Jury forewoman Cynthia Rathburn said deliberations were "a little heated and frustrating" and concluded, "It was like that until we realized we were not going to reach a unanimous decision...We reached a point where we agreed we were not going to agree." more ›

The jury charged with deciding James Degorski's sentence have begun deliberations as to whether or not to sentence him to death. Three weeks ago, the jury found Degorski guilty for his role in the 1993 Brown's Chicken Murders. Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Tom Biesty said of Degorski, "He slaughtered them that night. He wanted to do something big and he wanted to be famous. Well, he did do something big and he is famous...and now it's his judgment day." Degorski's attorney, senior Cook County assistant public defender Mark Levitt cited abuse, both sexual and physical, that Degorski and his siblings suffered by their father and told the jury, "Finding mercy where it shouldn't exist is exactly what mercy is." Juan Luna, the other man convicted in the slayings, was sentenced to life in prison in 2007. more ›

A DuPage County jury took little time today to decide that Brian Dugan, convicted for kidnapping, raping and murdering 10-year-old Jeanine Nicarico, qualifies for the death penalty. more ›

James Degorski, who was found guilty yesterday on seven counts of murder for his part in the 1993 Brown Chicken's killings, has been ruled eligible for the death penalty by the same jury that convicted him. The next phase begins tomorrow; prosecutors will try to persuade the jury to sentence Degorski to the death penalty while the defense will argue for life in prison. [Sun-Times] more ›

Prosecutors have rejected a plea deal in the case of Kaushik Patel, the man accused of killing his two young sons be dousing them in flammable liquid and setting them on fire last November. The deal would have sent Patel to prison for life but prosecutors are sticking to their guns and seeking the death penalty for Patel. Patel had originally planned to plead guilty in exchange for the life sentence, but prosecutors are moving forward with the trial, which begins in April 2009. Patel claimed that when he set his sons, 4-year-old Om and 7-year-old Vishv, on fire, he was actually trying to kill himself. Om died two months after the burning, in January of this year, and Vishv died a month after him. more ›

County prosecutors today announced their intent to seek the death penalty against Reginald Potts, the man accused of killing Nailah Franklin. [S-T] more ›

Eric Hanson has been sentenced to death for killing his sister, parents and brother-in-law. His surviving sister testified against him during his recently concluded trial, and yesterday a jury took only 90 minutes to return its verdict in favor of execution. more ›

Perhaps crime will slow down tomorrow, when all that water lying around freezes and turns Chicago streets into one giant ice rink. But for now, let's see what's been going on this weekend in the world of criminal justice: more ›

Timothy Krajcir, a currently incarcerated repeat violent sex offender, pleaded guilty yesterday to killing Deborah Sheppard, an SIU student who was murdered in 1982. And then he confessed to eight other murders in Missouri and another area police haven't disclosed yet (possibly Kentucky). So far, he's been charged with five counts of murder and three counts of rape, and was sentenced to 40 years in prison for Sheppard's murder. Krajcir is 63. Krajcir's rap sheet... more ›

The Sun-Times asks what we hope is a rhetorical question on the cover of today's edition; "How do you punish somebody for being so senseless?" The question was actually asked by Paul Dahlquist, father of one of three musicians brutally murdered* by Jeanette Sliwinski almost 2 1/2 years ago. She attempted to kill herself by slamming her car into a vehicle carrying Michael Dahlquist, John Glick, and Doug Meis while the three were out on a lunch break. more ›

An air of unfairness permeates everything about the George Ryan trial. His fall from grace, you may remember, began with the License-for-Bribe Scandal, a scandal that involved the deaths of nearly an entire family caused by a truck driver who had effectively bought his commercial drivers license. Of the many themes that have been present in the George Ryan corruption trial, a recurring one has been forgiveness. Besides his connection to corruption in state politics,... more ›

After months upon months of pounding the pavement and posting in cyberspace, the Cornbleet family allegedly has their man. Dermatologist Dr. David Cornbleet was murdered last October in his Michigan Avenue office. Since then, his son Jon has worked seemingly ‘round the clock to track down his father’s killer. Taking a tip from an unspecified source, officials arrested Hans Peterson, 29, Aug. 6 on the French island of St. Martin. For the time being, Peterson... more ›

The news broke late yesterday of an arrest in the case of Dr. David Cornbleet, the dermatologist who was murdered in his Loop office last October. Authorities filed a warrant for 29-year-old Hans R. Peterson, who was arrested August 6 on a federal fugitive warrant for unlawful flight on the French Caribbean island of St. Martin. After his arrest in St. Martin, Peterson, who lists his occupation as an "Internet gambler," allegedly confessed to the... more ›

It really is tempting to succumb to the illusion of control when it comes to crime in this country. Those of us outside of the millions upon millions of square footage devoted to prisons can debate about the death penalty, or watch a movie or TV show about rehabilitation without ever having to face the prison industrial complex that has quietly grown out of control, and has never evolved to suit the needs of the people it supposedly exists for to help, or change. more ›

Sign outside of the Patio Motel by abbyworld. more ›