Burge Trial Postponed Until Spring 2010

By aaroncynic in News on Nov 5, 2009 8:40PM

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.”

Plenty of people are skeptical of Burge’s claims. Flint Taylor, who helped spearhead the investigation into torture allegations against Burge said “It makes one wonder if their motivation is to avoid trial altogether and never give the victims of torture a day in court.” U.S. Attorney Barney Miller pleaded with U.S. District Judge Lefkow to push the trial forward. Judge Lefkow wagged her finger at Burge’s lawyers, saying “If you come back and say you can’t do it, I’m going to scrutinize that pretty carefully.”

The charges against Burge stem from initial allegations of coerced confessions and police torture from multiple victims. For a comprehensive analysis, click here. For an interview with Flint Taylor and one of Burge’s accusers, click here. The trial has been pushed back to May 10, 2010.