Judge Orders Alvarez To Turn Over Koschman Interviews
By Chuck Sudo in News on Mar 1, 2012 10:05PM
A Cook County judge ruled Wednesday that State's Attorney Anita Alvarez must turn over transcripts of six witness interviews related to the investigation of the 2004 death of David Koschman to attorneys representing Koschman's mother, Nanci.
Alvarez has long contended turning over the interview transcripts would “would disrupt the ongoing criminal investigation” by her office and the office of City Inspector General Joseph Ferguson, “and further undermine an already-dim prospect of any future criminal prosecution.”
In his ruling, Judge Michael P. Toomin, said since Alvarez quoted the interviews in a court filing where she objected to having a special prosecutor in the Koschman case, he disagreed with her position. The Sun-Times reports Alvarez has turned over those transcripts to Ferguson's office. Nanci Koschman's lawyers said they need to review the transcripts to respond to Alvarez's objections to a special prosecutor.
Alvarez has seemingly objected to anything related to an independent investigation of the Koshman case for months. In addition to this ruling and her resistance to a special prosecutor, her office has blocked a probe into the case by Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard. David Koschman died from injuries sustained by a punch from Richard "RJ" Vanecko—a relative of former mayor Richard M. Daley—but Vanecko was never charged with the crime.