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.
October 22nd, 2009
Team Runge, led by Woody Jordan, would have walked Degorski and never had a sentencing phase.
Did Team Degorski reach out to brilliant legal minds like Lauren Simon and Xavier Velasco from Team Burnette to brainstorm this case?
Does anybody know if any members of the MDD Unit showed up for their 25th Anniversary gala, or did they just phone in from Markham and Skokie?
MDD….25 years of Invisibility!!!!!!
LMAO!!!!!
October 22nd, 2009
Now that Team Degorski has time on its hands, will Debbie White send them to do preliminary hearings under the threat of dismissal?
October 23rd, 2009
Will the 25th Anniversary of MDD be recognized at the Union Holiday Party?
ROCK ON WITH MDD!!!!!!