It only took a jury 3-1/2 hours to find 20-year-old Silvonous Shannon guilty for his part in the 2009 beating death of Fenger High School student Derrion Albert. Shannon's attorneys tried to frame him as a bystander who tried to break up the rumble that was captured on a cell phone cideo. more ›

A witness in the beating death of Derrion Albert testified in court yesterday that he saw defendant Silvonous Shannon, who was convicted of Albert's murder last month, take a flying leap and land on Albert's head. more ›

A former dean of Kaplan University is accused of hacking into the school's e-mail system and firing off a series of threatening e-mails to students and faculty that reached such a level of vitriol that university official at one point hired security officials to guard their homes and offices after receiving them. more ›

A jury wasted little time in finding a 15-year-old boy guilty of first-degree murder in the beating death of Fenger High School student Derrion Albert last year. more ›

It's been two years since the violent acid attack on Esperanza Medina but the trial for those accused will finally get under way with jury selection today and testimony expected to begin next week. The July 2008 attack was, according to prosecutors, the result of love triangle. Prosecutors have alleged Ofelia Garcia masterminded the attack, recruiting three teens to carry out the actual attack, because she believed Medina was dating her ex-husband. The teens involved have since pleaded guilty but Garcia and Maria Olivera-Garcia begin their trial next week, charged with attempted murder and heinous battery. Prosecutors allege Garcia planned the attack and hired the teens while Olivera-Garcia drove the teens to the spot where they attacked Medina. All three teens plan to testify against the pair when the trial gets underway. A third suspect, Linda Dirzo, died late last year. As for Medina, 50, it's been a long, painful recovery but she's hopeful heading into next week's trial. The Tribune caught up with Medina and talked to her about the incident as well as her relationship with Karli Butler, a victim of a similar acid attack years ago. more ›

After emptying the piggy bank with a star-studded defense team for the first go-round, former governor Rod Blagojevich could find himself on the short end of the stick in terms of high profile attorneys come the next trial. Blago's $2.8 million defense fund was completely emptied out by the first trial and The Sam Adam Father-Son combo is pulling out of the retrial which could get a new date at a hearing today. Judge Zagel could also appoint a pair of public defenders to Team Blago. While there's no estimate on how much the attorneys would be paid, the pay for public defenders is $110 per hour with the bill footed by us, the taxpayers. There are limits, though. Per the Sun-Times: 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 ›

After almost a week break, the Blagojevich Trial begins anew today as the defense begins presenting its case and today should include testimony from co-defendant Robert Blagojevich and his wife Julie. And after them? The ex-gov himself as well as his wife Patti. Natasha Korecki wrote a nice breakdown of the strained relationship between the two brothers earlier this year. more ›

We couldn't resist posting this now instead of saving it for tomorrow's recap: during testimony today, former Deputy Governor Robert Greenlee testified about Blago's less than frequent office appearances and even Rod's tendency to duck out and hide from advisers... in an office bathroom. Greenlee testified today that Rod's presence in his office was as low as two-to-eight hours a week. From Natasha Korecki at the Sun-Times: more ›

One of the jurors in the Blago Trial was dismissed this morning by Judge Zagel due to the critical illness of a parent and will be replaced by one of the six alternates. The trial - and Blago's ego - has continued unabated. more ›

Day 18 in the Blagojevich trial took a focus on the Blagojevich family finances and the debt that Rod and Patti incurred thanks to fancy clothes shopping, a debt prosecutors allege is what helped push Blago to look for a sweet deal in exchange for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. Testimony by former deputy governor Doug Scofield wrapped up as Scofield underscored the "fucking golden" line. The next witness on the stand was state ethics officer David Kaehl whose office was actually created by then-governor Blago. It was a quick visit with Kaehl testifying that Blago completed the required ethics training for each year from 2004 until his arrest in 2008. more ›

The defense in the Jon Burge perjury and obstruction of justice trial has rested their case and closing arguments will begin on Thursday. The primary defense witness yesterday was then-court stenographer Michael Hartnett who testified that, when taking Andrew Wilson's confession, he did see two injuries but didn't see any signs of torture: "Andrew had a scar over his right eye, and over the side of his right eye, it was swollen, puffy or whatever. I don't recall seeing (burns)." Hartnett admitted, though, “If it was one of my kids, I would have said, you know, they got popped by someone." The defense wrapped with former Assistant State’s Attorney Wilbur Crooks who said that Shadeed Mu’min, who accused Burge of playing Russian roulette with a gun pointed at his forehead, never complained about being mistreated. The prosecution only called one rebuttal witness and that was that; as John Conroy said, it's all over but the shouting. Closing arguments were scheduled for today but were postponed until tomorrow due to an unspecified emergency amongst the lawyers. more ›

Late yesterday, former police commander Jon Burge announced he will take the stand in his own defense in his perjury and obstruction of justice trial. The announcement came at the end of the day after jurors had left the courtroom. Burge has previously invoked his fifth amendment rights in questioning about the case. As for the strategy, John Conroy says: more ›

The prosecution rested yesterday in the perjury and obstruction of justice trial of former Chicago Police commander Jon Burge after a day that included testimony from alleged robbery suspect Shadeed Mu’min. Mu'min testified of an interrogation session in October 1985 in which he said Burge pointed a revolved loaded with a single bullet at his head, playing a game of Russian Roulette, and suffocated him with a typewriter cover to get a confession in the alleged robbery and attempted murder of a Brown's Fried Chicken worker. The session was one that retired officer Michael McDermott testified about earlier this week in which he did some back-pedaling from previous testimony. Still, as John Conroy points out at Vocalo, there were consistencies between the two testimonies. more ›

Day 8 of the Blago Trial opened with the continuing cross-examination of former Blago pal Lon Monk by Blago attorney Sam Adam, Jr. An animated Adam grilled Monk about specifics to plans Monk alleged he, Tony Rezko, and the ex-governor had that involved illegal scheming and plotting. When Monk couldn't produce those specifics, Adam pounced. more ›

Testimony of former Blago confidant and chief-of-staff Lon Monk continued yesterday as the prosecution wrapped direct and handed Monk over for cross-examination by defense attorneys for the Brothers Blago. As prosecutors wrapped up questioning in the morning, starting with Blago's "Screw those guys," comment about Children's Memorial Hospital, the focus was on then-governor Rod Blagojevich's attempt to wring $100,000 out of racetrack owner John Johnston, holding up signing a bill that would benefit the industry until Johnston had handed over the donation to Blago's campaign. Monk testified, "I was trying to get the contribution as quickly as I could so there would be more time between the contribution and the signing of the bill." More of the Blago Tapes were played to corroborate Monk's story, including one in which Johnston told Monk, "Tell the big guy I'm good for it." In one of those telling moments, the Sun-Times' Chris Fusco writes, "In court, Blagojevich smiles and turns to look at his wife Patti when Johnston calls him 'the big guy.'" Part of Monk's testimony also indicated he was attempting to leave Robert Blagojevich in the dark regarding the $100,000 from Johnston. Oh, and there was, of course, talk of hair. An one of the stranger schemes to come to light was that of the now-deceased Christopher Kelly who intended to use former NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar to pitch then-governor of Florida Jeb Bush on pitching then-president George W. Bush for a pardon. more ›

Day Five of the Blagojevich trial saw the beginning of witness testimony against the former governor. First up, FBI Agent Daniel Cain explained the process behind bugging Blagojevich and others. The investigation began, according to Cain, after someone filed a report about extortion for a state board appointment, which led to Rezko, and then more information came in from lobbyist John Wyma. The Tribune's Bob Secter called Cain, "cool and deliberate and unassuming," as he methodically described the ins-and-outs of the process of monitoring 8 different phones and two bugs between October 22, 2008 and December 9, 2008. Of the 5,000 calls the FBI monitored, Cain said around 1,100 were relevant to the case. Aaron Goldstein cross-examined Cain, focusing on how the FBI must stop monitoring conversations that have no relevance to the case, emphasizing that investigators might have missed some piece of conversation that could have helped exonerate Blagojevich. more ›

The Blago trial isn't the only show in town. Still lingering in the former governor's shadow is the Jon Burge trial. Testimony in the trial of former police commander John Burge continued this week with a federal jury hearing statements from several of Burge’s victims, including the deceased Andrew Wilson, who spent 30 years in jail for the murder of two Chicago Police officers. The statements read were from Wilson’s 1989 lawsuit against Burge by FBI Agent Brian Butler. Wilson’s statement details his interrogation by Burge and the “Midnight Crew,” who beat and electrocuted into a confession for the murders of William Fahey and Richard O'Brien. He died in 2007. more ›

It was back to court on Friday for former governor Rod Blagojevich, his brother Rob, wife Patti, and a host of attorneys as jury selection continued in the federal corruption trial of the Brothers Blagojevich. While he didn't say much on Day One, yesterday, Blago told a group of reporters, "We've been lied about and falsely accused. I know I'll be vindicated." As we saw yesterday, Blago didn't let what's facing him deter him from putting on a happy face as he tried to work a little bit of that ol' Blago magic on the courtroom artists. more ›

Now that you're all caught up on your Blagojevich Case history and the Opening Ceremonies concluded, it's time to get down to business. The business of selecting the jury. The first panel of 34 jurors was seated and Judge Zagel grilled them pretty good by all accounts. In particular, Juror No. 126 got Zagel's full attention regarding his juror questionnaire, having listed "bad temper" as a medical condition and claiming "self-interest and short-term interests will kill our country." Zagel asked the juror, "Is there anything you wouldn't say to get out of jury service?" While Zagel made the potential juror squirm, Blago seemed to be quite comfortable in the courtroom; the Tribune reported that Blago, "continued scribbling away on a notepad as the jurors are questioned, stopping occasionally to pick lint off the sleeves of his suit." But as the Sun-Times notes, maybe Blago is a little loose. more ›

And away we go. After a big crowd assembled way too early in the morning (for us, anyway) for first-come, first-serve seating in the courtroom, Rod Blagojevich and wife Patti showed up just 10 minutes before the proceedings' scheduled start of 11 a.m. While Rod had little to say - a rarity - wife Patti had plenty to say, "Today is a good day because today begins a process to correct a terrible injustice that's been done to my husband, our family and the people of Illinois. My husband as governor did great things for people, and he continued to fight for them always. My husband is an honest man, and I know that he's innocent. Thank you." And now? Jury selection is currently underway after Judge Zagel ruled against a media request to release the names of the jurors before the end of the trial. more ›

President Obama, Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Harry Reid, and now Rahm Emanuel. It's a who's-who of Democrat Power Elite. It's also the list of people subpoenaed by ex-governor Rod Blagojevich. Blago's lawyer Shelly Sorosky confirmed to the Sun-Times that White House Chief-of-Staff Rahm Emanuel has been subpoenaed as has Senior White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett. more ›

While Blago's last-ditch attempt to delay his trial was turned down today, another high-profile trial has gotten pushed back. Circuit Judge Stephen White has pushed back Drew Peterson's murder trial from a scheduled June 14 start date to July 8 when jury selection will begin. Peterson's attorney had submitted a proposed new date of August 23 but White didn't want such a substantial delay. Peterson is charged with the murder of third wife Kathleen Savio who died under mysterious circumstances in 2004. more ›

Jury selection in the Jon Burge trial on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice is underway today as potential jurors are questioned by attorneys. While we'll be following on via several media outlets, we'll also be paying close attention to John Conroy's blog over at WBEZ. more ›

With the trial of former Chicago Police commander Jon Burge set to resume with jury selection on Monday, WBEZ has recruited John Conroy, who originally covered the accusations and investigations extensively for The Reader, to blog the trial for them. It's a great get for WBEZ given the depth and breadth of Conroy's knowledge of the case; his still chilling 1990 piece "House of Screams" essentially broke the story wide open. more ›

With every other attempt to delay his trial shot down, attorneys for former governor Rod Blagojevich are taking their case straight to the top: the Supreme Court of the United States. Team Blago wants the case to wait until the SCOTUS rules on a few cases involving the honest services law, something that should happen sometime in June. more ›

First it was President Obama. Then it was U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. Now Team Blago has subpoenaed U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Reid's attorney acknowledges the senator received the subpoena but said, "This action does not mean that Senator Reid will testify at trial." more ›

A federal appeals court has turned down a request by Team Blago to delay the start of the ex-gov's (and his brother Rob's) trial. With this latest round of denial for the defense, it appears only an act of SCOTUS will keep the trial from starting June 3. And Blago's defense team is not afraid to aim that high. After yesterday's decision, Rob Blagojevich attorney Michael E. Ettinger said, "We are going to the Supreme Court," while Rod's attorney Sheldon Sorosky echoed the sentiment, saying the team would "contemplate a possible appeal to the Supreme Court." more ›

• The FDA is looking into Walgreens' plan to sell genetic testing kits.
• UConn President Michael Hogan is the top choice to become the new president at the University of Illinois. Related: a 9.5 percent tuition hike at the school is on the way.
• A tentative start date of November 1 has been set for Chicago businessman Tahawwur Rana's terrorism trial. Related: Fox does us all an alarmist favor by listing the top 10 terror targets in town.

Jon Burge, the former Chicago Police captain accused of leading a group of officers that allegedly tortured suspects, is finally facing trial. The first step begins today with the start of jury selection. Potential jurors will appear in court to complete a questionnaire and will return to court on May 24 to complete the jury selection process. Because the statue of limitations on possible torture charges have expired, prosecutors are instead going after Burge for perjury and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors say Burge lied in 2003 when asked if he was aware of any acts of torture going on under his command. That was during a wrongful conviction lawsuit filed by Madison Hobley. Hobley was originally convicted of setting the 1987 fire that killed seven people, including his wife and son. He served 13 years in prison before Gov. George Ryan pardoned him in 2003 and in his wrongful conviction lawsuit, Hobley alleged that Burge and his men tortured him in to making a false confession. (When investigators filed no new charges against Hobley for the fire, he was cleared to collect his full settlement). more ›