Man Found Not Guilty in 2008 Downtown Attack

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jun 4, 2009 9:20PM

Remember the bizarre story from a little over a year ago about the man who randomly attacked six people in the Loop, including ABC 7's Cheryl Burton (pictured right)? His name is Gregory Perdue, he's from Berwyn, and he was found not guilty by reason of insanity today. From the Sun-Times:

Perdue is schizophrenic and had been institutionalized, according to his attorney, John Benson. At the time of the incident, he was reported missing by his family and living in a downtown alley, Benson said.

Assistant State’s Attorney Clarissa Palermo argued that Perdue knew exactly what he was doing when he hit the victims, including senior citizens, as he snaked through the sidewalks. As evidence, Palermo pointed to the fact that Perdue was sane enough to graduate from the University of Illinois in Chicago several years ago.

“He committed these crimes because he was angry and because he had issues with elderly people,” said Palermo, who noted one victims needed plastic surgery.

The bench trial, presided over by Cook County Judge Clayton J. Crane, began and ended today. Perdue was charged with multiple counts of aggravated battery.