The good news just keeps coming. First it was Bernie Sarley. Then it was Michele Hendrickson Douglass and Mark Douglass. And now, team Degorski and Beatriz Santiago.
Team Degorski Gets Life
The guilt phase ended in a quick verdict of guilty but the team kept their heads held up high and continued with their exemplary professionalism and competence. In just a few hours, the same jury that convicted James Degorski and found him eligible for the death penalty, today deliberated and sentenced him to life without parole. The only other option was the death penalty. His co-defendant, Juan Luna, was also spared the death sentence in his trial a few years ago.
Hats off to team Degorski, which consisted of Assistant Public Defenders Mark Levitt (HTF) ( a candidate for judge in Lake County), Mike Mayfield (HTF), Susan Smith (HTF), Preston Jones (HTF), Brendan Max (FSD and Union V.P.), Kate Moriarty (26th), Jeff Howard (MGMT) and paralegal Michelle Dillard. Nice work.
40 under 40
And as if having the vice president of the union on the winning Degorski team wasn’t enough, how about the fact that our union trustee, Beatriz Santiago, was named to Law Bulletin Publishing’s “40 under 40″ for 2009? Congratulations Ms. Santiago! Your story is no doubt an inspiration to so many young people in our community.
