Congrats to the Tribune for landing what has been the most sought after interview this summer in Chicagoland: JoAnn Chiakulas, the juror who held out on several of the charges against former governor Rod Blagojevich, forcing an 11-1 hung jury on several counts. Of course, it's worth nothing that many other of the 23 charges on which the jury could not agree were not as close. But Chiakulas was the hold out on the marquee charge: the accusation of Blago's attempt to sell the senate seat of Barack Obama. Chiakulas insists that she didn't keep track of Blago's exploits following his arrest and said of his media blitz and television appearances, "I wasn't impressed with his shenanigans." Chiakulas' reasoning for her vote of not guilty - "Some people in (the jury room) only saw black and white. I think I saw, in the transcripts and in the testimony, shades of gray. To me, that means reasonable doubt." - is intriguing because we wonder, what, exactly, was the gray area of, "I've got this thing and it's fucking ... golden. ... I'm just not giving it up for fucking nothing"? more ›

While jurors continue to deliberate with no sign of a verdict to be reached this week, they may wind up tasked with a little extra work once they do reach their decision. A hearing was held yesterday at which federal prosecutors said they intend to go after a few Blago assets if the verdict is guilty. Specifically, the feds will try to take control of both the Blagojevich home here in Chicago as well as the family's D.C. condo. more ›

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 ›

After a false alarm last night, the jury deciding the fate of convicted murderer Brian Dugan has been sequestered and will continue deliberating. Reports initially indicated a verdict had been reached last night, but the presiding judge then announced the jury was not ready and ordered them sequestered for the night and that deliberations would continue this morning. The jury is deciding whether or not Dugan, already serving two life sentences for two 1985 murders, should receive another life sentence or the death penalty for the 1983 rape and murder of 10-year-old Jeanine Nicarico. Dugan admitted to the crime earlier this summer. [ABC 7] more ›

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