An attorney acquainted with former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge through her boyfriend testified today that Burge told her police had beat murder suspect Andrew Wilson to gain a confession. Burge is currently on trial for perjury and obstruction of justice and is accused of lying in a civil suit about having knowledge of any police torture of suspects. more ›

• Police in Vernon Hills are seeking two "persons of interest" in connection with a homicide: the victim's daughter and her boyfriend.
• John Burge's trial was delayed for a fourth time. Earlier, the Sun-Times reported on a new grand jury investigation into a group of officers connected with Burge called the "Midnight Crew."
• Don't steal puppies; you will be punished.

Michael Tillman, who has served 23 years of a life sentence on a murder conviction, was released from prison today after prosecutors declined to retry him. Tillman claimed he was tortured by former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge into confessing to the 1986 rape and murder of Betty Howard. But this morning, Judge Vincent Gaughan granted Tillman a new trial. At that point, Assistant Special State's Atty. Myles O'Rourke dropped the charges against Tillman. Howard's family has been angered by the move, believing Tillman is still guilty. Her daughter Angelita said after the announcement, "I'm truly hurt. I will be praying about this because it's unjust. ... It's truly messed up that the police messed up this case and because of that Michael is getting let out." more ›

Former Chicago Police commander John Burge, arrested last year on charges of obstruction of justice and perjury, has successfully postponed his trial for the third time. The Chicago Sun Times reports Burge has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and will be undergoing radiation treatment in Florida when his January trial is scheduled to begin. Burge’s lawyers requested the postponement, saying that it was “nonsense” to imply he is using his illness to further stave off the trial. In fact, Burge’s legal team appeared disappointed in not beginning the trial, with one of his lawyers saying he “would have loved a Christmas jury with a cancer patient. That’s a combination for an acquittal.” more ›

The effects of former police commander Jon Burge's arrest last fall in connection with torture charges is now being felt. On Friday, a Cook County Judge ruled that Victor Safforld, a.k.a. Cortez Brown, will get a new trial after he determined a trio of officers under Burge's command - James O'Brien, Anthony Maslanka and John Paladino - tortured Brown into confessing. If a new trial is pursued against Brown, his alleged confession will most likely not be admitted. Brown was convicted of two murders in 1990 and sentenced to death though that sentence was later commuted to life. While Brown admitted he was a gang member, he said he had been beaten into confessing, claiming, according to the Trib, "the detectives punched him, beat his legs and hands with a metal flashlight and slapped him in the head for a half hour until his will was broken." more ›