Like most cities, Chicago’s violent crimes seem local to certain areas and districts. Those areas taint the entire city with their reputation of violence. Specifically, neighborhoods that are infested with gangs and street thugs, like Austin and Englewood, have a murder rate that is much higher than any other part…
Chicago Criminal Lawyer Blog
The Coroner Says Marques Gaines Was Murdered, But by Whom?
A series of events led to the death of a Chicago man, Marques Gaines, that is now being called a homicide by the coroner’s office. Gaines and an unidentified man started arguing outside a 7-Eleven Store. The argument escalated, ending up with the unidentified man assaulting Gaines in front of…
Competency to Stand Trial vs. The Defense of Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity
Incompetency to stand trial is not the same thing as a defense of “not guilty” by reason of insanity, for the simple reason that an individual accused of a crime may be “sane” and in charge of his mental faculties at the time he shot his victim, with a complete…
Is it an Assault and Battery or Mutual Combat?
Criminal assault and battery, in most jurisdictions, is defined as an intentional act where one individual attempts to or does strike another individual; or acts in such a threatening manner as to place an individual in immediate fear of harm. Aggravated assault and battery is when an individual causes severe…
Your Constitutional Right to Bail
Bail is a monetary pledge (a bond) telling the court, that if the court will authorize your release, you promise to abide by any conditions the court demands, and to appear at all hearing dates going forward, including trial. By posting this bond, you are agreeing that should you fail…
What Happens to a Convicted Individual Who is Later Exonerated?
Our system of law and order works pretty well, most of the time. After an arrest, it is up to the prosecutor to prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that the accused is the perpetrator of the crime. The defendant is entitled to be judged by his peers, and he is…
The Ongoing War Between the Police and Political Activists
There is a war going on in Chicago, as well as in other parts of the country, between law enforcement and political activists. Meanwhile, the residents of those communities are caught in the cross-fires. This has been a bloody year for Chicagoans, and there does not seem to be any…
Unusual and Infamous Crimes
Unusual crime stories make the news on a regular basis, grabbing the imagination of the viewers and keeping them enthralled and glued to their television sets, not to mention increasing the network ratings. These crimes make huge splashes in the news and tantalize the audience with wild scenes of decadence…
Routine Traffic Stops and Your Civil Rights
We have seen in the news, a rash of videos regarding police encounters with drivers that started out as routine traffic stops, but then escalated out of control, resulting in violent arrests. One such incident made worldwide news when a traffic stop ended with the driver being arrested and ultimately…
Identity Theft, Counterfeiting, and Bomb Threats
A combination of two ultimate fraud charges, identity theft and counterfeiting, resulted in a major potential felony bomb threat at the Midway Airport. All of these elements came to light when a Chicago woman attempted to smuggle counterfeit and stolen credit/debit cards out of the state, and ended up as…