Chicago murder attorney

October 4, 2023

Charges Dropped Against Man Who Spent 34 Years in Prison for Crime He Did Not Commit

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

Cook County prosecutors dropped charges against a man who was exonerated on an appeal for a crime he claimed he never committed. Throughout his time in prison, he maintained his innocence for a double murder that he says police pinned on him. He spent 34 years in prison on charges that he was involved in the shooting of two 14-year-old boys.

Police believed that he was cruising the streets for rival gang members. When he could not find any, they claimed he shot the boys instead. The boys were running from a Cook County home back to their father’s house to meet their curfew.

The defendant would be convicted on charges of first-degree murder and spend the next 12,000 days of his life locked up behind bars.

August 16, 2023

Chicago Man Charged With Murder of 9-Year-Old Girl

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

A Chicago man has been charged with the grisly murder of a 9-year-old girl. He appeared in court just recently for a bond hearing, during which he was denied bond. His public defender had argued for a reasonable bond based on the fact that the defendant had no criminal history. However, the Chicago courts, considering the severity of the crime with which he is charged, elected to deny him bond. The defendant was still recovering from a shooting himself. He was shot in the left side of his face as police attempted to apprehend him.

Police do not yet have a motive for the shooting. The defendant was a neighbor of the victim. According to the police report, the victim was standing near an ice cream truck when a shot rang out. The victim’s father told her to go back inside their home, where she would be safe. That is when the shooter exited his house armed with a handgun, approached the 9-year-old who was with her father and shot her in the head with a handgun. When the father saw that the defendant was shooting at his daughter, he tried to stop him. During the altercation, the defendant was shot in the face with his own gun.

Mental Health Defense

June 30, 2023

Charges Dropped Against Mother and Son After Shooting

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

Charges have been dropped against a mother and her son in the shooting death of a man at a restaurant. Surveillance footage shows the man punching the woman before the woman’s son pulled her gun and shot him. The woman had a concealed carry license and was a FOID card holder at the time of the shooting. The mother and son had been charged with first-degree murder, and the mother was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. However, when footage emerged that the man was the aggressor, Cook County prosecutors decided to drop all the charges against them.

What Happened?

The mother was in line ordering food at a restaurant when she was approached by the victim. An argument ensues between the victim and the mother, and the victim throws a punch at the mother. The son, who had the gun on his person, pulls it from a front hoodie pocket and shoots the victim after he threw the punch at his mother.

May 26, 2023

Chicago Couple Accused of Murdering Man They Met at a Bar

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

Passing drivers saw a man lying on the side of the road naked from the waist down. They alerted authorities, who tracked the man’s movements to an area bar. From there, they enticed the man into their van, where he was beaten and strangled. His body was dumped on the side of the road, and now both are facing first-degree murder charges.

It is fair to ask whether or not both defendants can be charged with the murder. It may end up being that one of them is charged with first-degree murder for the strangulation and physical assault that led to death while the other is charged with felony murder. This would divide itself along the vector of man and woman. The woman would likely be charged with conspiracy to commit murder, while the husband would be charged with perpetrating the physical death.

At this point, we know little about the details other than what has been reported in the press. However, it is still possible that a first-degree murder charge against the wife will happen. If it does, the couple is unlikely to ever see one another again in person. They will be separated in prison.

February 22, 2023

Health Care Providers Charged With Murder, Now Face Lawsuit

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

There are a growing number of criminal cases filed against healthcare providers who fail to act in accordance with the standard of care. While in some cases, these criminal cases seem better suited to civil court, there is nothing that prevents municipal authorities from filing criminal charges against medical personnel. In most cases, these suits are not filed against doctors but against EMTs and nurses. In some cases, the EMTs and nurses go above and beyond simple negligence, and hence, the charges against them are sometimes justified.

In this case, the EMTs are charged with first-degree murder, which is the harshest crime that anyone can be charged with under Illinois law. According to authorities, the EMTs knowingly strapped a man into the gurney so tightly that he was not able to breathe. He died of respiratory distress.

The defense contends that the incident was mere negligence and not intentional murder.

January 25, 2023

Will Alec Baldwin Be Convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter Charges?

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

The defense is characterizing the charges as baseless and without merit after New Mexico prosecutors charged Baldwin with manslaughter. Baldwin was the one who fired the loaded gun, but there is no one who believes he intentionally wanted to harm Halyna Hutchins. The question is one of negligence.

Under the law, simple negligence is not a crime. However, culpable negligence is a crime. As an example of a crime of culpable negligence, think reckless driving or DUI. In these cases, you may not be trying to hurt anyone, but you are placing others in a position where they can be hurt or even killed. In cases of DUI involving a death, you have culpable negligence that gives rise to homicide. So, did Baldwin contribute a DUI-like amount of culpable negligence to trigger a manslaughter investigation?

The Prosecution’s Argument

December 30, 2022

New Junk Science Being Used by Police to Destroy Lives

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

Over-the-phone lie detection is the latest junk science employed by the FBI and police departments across the country. While experts familiar with the work say it should not be used to convict individuals, it is being used to analyze 911 calls to determine whether the calls are honest or false.

Today, the Karen phenomenon and swatting have police on high alert for false calls. But it isn’t swatting and Karens that are being stopped. Often, it’s people who “say the wrong thing,” according to this method of analyzing speech patterns. And that could be anyone, even the victim of domestic violence or sexual assault.

What You Need to Understand

November 4, 2022

Woman Held After Stabbing Boyfriend Over Microwave Dispute

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

A Chicago woman is being charged with murder after stabbing her boyfriend to death. According to police, the incident was related to a dispute over who could use the microwave first. The woman was eight months pregnant at the time of the stabbing, and she and her boyfriend were living together, according to police.

According to the press release, a dispute broke out over who was going to reheat their leftovers first, which turned into a shoving match. The boyfriend went to lie down in his room, but the girlfriend continued to argue. Eventually, she approached his bedroom with a knife. An uncle attempted to prevent her from getting closer, but she reached around him and stabbed the boyfriend in the thigh. He died after bleeding out from his femoral artery. She then dropped the knife and fled the scene, according to reports.

The woman is facing one charge of first-degree murder and is being held without bond. As of the stabbing, police were called to five reports of domestic violence, with the defendant listed as the aggressor. All of these incidents occurred over a four-month period between June and September. In one incident that occurred in late August, the defendant was listed as the aggressor in an incident that left her boyfriend with a stab wound to the neck. The boyfriend refused to press charges over the incident.

October 12, 2022

Three Teens Charged in Carjacking Spree, Vehicular Homicide

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

Four people, including three teens, have been charged in a carjacking spree that ended with the death of a 55-year-old woman. Police say the perpetrators carjacked two women, set a pickup truck on fire, and then caused a deadly crash after a police chase. The 17-year-old driver has been charged with murder and three counts of aggravated fleeing. Another 17-year-old has been charged with possession of a stolen vehicle and unlawful use of a weapon. Others are facing charges of trespass to a vehicle and weapons violations.

The teens carjacked two vehicles in a short time before setting fire to a pickup truck they had stolen earlier. At that point, police became aware of the teens, and a chase ensued. The chase reached speeds of 60 mph and only stopped when the stolen vehicle crashed into a Toyota driven by the 55-year-old victim.

Understanding the Murder Charge

July 1, 2022

Details Emerge Concerning Suspect in Deadly Shooting

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

Details are beginning to emerge about the suspect in the recent Weathertech shooting. According to reports, 37-year-old Charles McKnight is accused of shooting and killing another 37-year-old man and wounding two others. McKnight was found in possession of some of the victim’s belongings. Two Weathertech employees confronted McKnight near the end of his shift after they accused him of stealing the personal belongings of another employee at gunpoint. An argument ensued and McKnight shot at the men confronting him.

McKnight worked for a temp agency and managed to pass a background check although the press was able to discover that McKnight had been arrested several times for minor offenses. McKnight was never prosecuted on any of those charges which ended up being dropped. All the offenses were minor offenses such as simple battery and disorderly conduct. According to the temp agency, they use another company to conduct criminal background checks and McKnight’s came back clear.

One of the victims was treated and released from the hospital while the other is in critical condition. McKnight will likely face one charge of first-degree murder and potentially two charges of attempted murder. His bond has been set at $5 million.