Results tagged “jasonaustin”

The Saga of Jason Austin continues. The West Side man was originally charged with the murders of off-duty Chicago Police Officer Robert Soto and social worker Kathryn Romberg only to later have the charges dropped. Following his release, he decided to sue the city for mistreatment. One of the reasons given for the dismissal of charges was that witnesses recanting. Now comes an admission of guilt by a teenager who was charged with beating a witness who talked to police about Austin and the murders.

During the investigation, two teenage girls – Tashianda Howland, 18, and a 16-year-old relatives, were charged with beating and intimidating a female witness.

Continue reading "Witness Intimidation Admission in Soto-Austin Case"

Jason Austin, 26, originally arrested and later released in connection with the August killing of Chicago Police Officer Robert Soto and Kathryn Romberg, is suing the city for mistreatment. In an interview with the Sun-Times, Austin claims that while being questioned, police withheld food from him for three days. While he says he was never beaten by police, he did say they roughed him up when they arrested him: “I just seen them all around me. They grabbed me off the bed, twisted my arm and put the cuffs on.” During the interrogation, Austin stuck by his original claim that though witnesses reported seeing a car resembling his leave the scene of the crime, his car was in the repair shop at the time. He admitted he heard the gunshots but denied having anything to do with the shooting, saying, "I was doing my regular routine, hanging, messin’ with the females."

Cook County prosecutors have dropped all charges against Jason Austin, the 26-year-old man who had been charged in the murders of police officer Robert Soto and social worker Kathryn Romberg. According to reports, the prosecution's case began unraveling when witnesses recanted their initial testimony, and evidence emerged that Austin's maroon car—which had allegedly placed him at the scene of the crime—was actually at a body shop at the time of the shootings.

Jason Austin (pictured left), 26, was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of robbery in the last week's shooting of Chicago Police Officer Robert Soto and Kathryn Romberg. Prosecutors have not said whether or not they will seek the death penalty if Austin is convicted. Cook County Criminal Court Judge Laura Sullivan denied bail for Austin, who has five previous convictions, including one for aggravated battery that was originally an attempted murder charge.