Cook County judge, William Gamboney, found former Chicago police officer, Lowell Houser guilty of second-degree murder recently. Houser requested a bench trial as some police officers are wont to do when facing serious charges. The trial stemmed from a 2017 off-duty shooting of Jose Nieves. Houser has been under house…
Parolee Donald Thurman is accused of raping and then murdering a University of Illinois honor student. Prosecutors say that he followed the woman to her car as she was coming out of class. They also say that she ignored several attempts to initiate conversation and that drew the ire of…
Krysztof Marek entered a neighboring apartment and killed four people who were gathered around the table for dinner. Then he went upstairs into another apartment and executed a fifth. Why? According to police, the man was being evicted from his Chicago condo. Marek left behind a note in his native…
If you are into intrigue, the case against Chicago exchange student Ji Chaoqun has got to be one of the most fascinating developments in recent memory. Ji is accused of being a Chinese spy tasked with gathering information on eight Chinese nationals working for major U.S. aerospace companies and many…
City officials are holding Lyft responsible after one of their drivers karate kicked a taxi driver, causing his death. The driver, Fangqi Lu, had previously been “deactivated” after punching one of his own customers in the face. The same driver then picked up a job driving for Uber weeks later…
Yet another Chicago Alderman is headed to prison after being handed a one-year sentence for defrauding a personal charity. According to prosecutors, Willie Cochran used his charitable fund to pay for gambling trips, expensive meals, and accessories for his Mercedes. Cochran pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, which…
While charges of fraud are not exactly rare when it comes to political candidates, Chicago Alderman Proco “Joe” Moreno stands accused of filing a false police report to defraud his insurance company. This is generally not the kind of fraud charges that politicians face. Nonetheless, it is still illegal. Authorities…
While the city is still fuming over the Jussie Smollett plea bargain, four Chicago cops are facing termination after the shooting death of Laquan McDonald. At least part of the accusations surrounding that teen’s death claim that the police officers covered up key elements of the case to clean their…
Involuntary manslaughter is a common charge in the Chicago area. It is typically levied against an individual who was involved in an incident in which someone died because of his or her actions. Involuntary manslaughter is not murder. It is also different from voluntary manslaughter. It typically means that the…
The success or failure of the legal services offered by law firms on criminal cases depends on the process used to hire outside counsel. This is because the individual seeking a criminal defense lawyer has a greater ability to mold the legal services provided. Besides, he or she is in…