GUILTY IL - Laquan McDonald, 17, fatally shot, Chicago PD charged, 20 Oct 2014 -J. VanDyke GUILTY*

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Prosecutors, defense lawyers tangle at hearing over alleged cover-up of the Laquan McDonald shooting

At a heated hearing that offered an in-depth preview of next month’s trial, prosecutors laid out their case against three Chicago police officers accused in a cover-up of the Laquan McDonald shooting — and defense attorneys attacked it as a sham, asking the judge to toss the case entirely.

Prosecutors accuse former Detective David March, ex-Officer Joseph Walsh and Officer Thomas Gaffney of covering up for Jason Van Dyke, who fatally shot McDonald while on duty in October 2014. All three are charged with official misconduct, obstruction of justice and conspiracy.

Over four hours Tuesday, attorneys argued over nearly every aspect of the case, dealing with multiple pretrial motions that must be decided before the trial begins late next month. Judge Domenica Stephenson said she would rule Monday.
...

Attorney James McKay, who represents March, added fuel to an already inflamed proceeding when he accused the special prosecutors of misconduct and alleged they misled the grand jury in order to further an unspecified political agenda. A former longtime assistant Cook County state’s attorney, McKay said the special prosecutors knowingly allowed grand jury witnesses to perjure themselves and did not tell jurors of their right to question witnesses.
...

Special prosecutors vehemently objected to the accusations, with one attorney breaking from the team’s buttoned-up courtroom demeanor to call the defense allegations “nonsense.”

“The evidence is overwhelming, and it has nothing to do with politics,” said assistant special prosecutor Ronald Safer.

Safer also said grand jurors were told more than a dozen times that they had the right to call and question witnesses. He offered to provide the judge with transcripts showing each instance.

The judge has ordered that all grand jury testimony remain under seal.


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Judge Delays Ruling on Request to Toss Charges in McDonald Conspiracy Case

A Cook County judge will decide next week whether she’ll grant a request to dismiss charges against three Chicago police officers accused of working to cover up the shooting death of black teen Laquan McDonald, less than a month before they are set to face trial.
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In a 42-page proffer unsealed earlier this month, special prosecutor Patricia Brown Holmes claimed the defendants submitted “virtually identical false information” about the shooting, each stating McDonald had used a knife to attack Van Dyke along with Walsh and Gaffney. Van Dyke was ultimately convicted earlier this month of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery stemming from the 2014 shooting.

Assistant special prosecutor Brian Watson on Tuesday laid out much of the state’s case against the three men, claiming their conspiracy to cover for Van Dyke began in the hours and days after the shooting.​
 
Former Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke’s lawyers asked Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan on Wednesday to either acquit him or grant him a new trial.

The requests — routine following a conviction in a criminal case — were made in two motions filed ahead of Van Dyke’s court appearance. Van Dyke’s lawyers complain, among other things, that Gaughan delayed his decision not to move the trial out of Cook County until after a jury had been sworn.

Jason Van Dyke appeared in court Wednesday wearing a yellow jail jumpsuit, escorted by two sheriff officers. Special Prosecutor Joseph McMahon asked for five weeks to reply to the new motions filed by Van Dyke’s legal team.

Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan said he wants all motions filed by Dec. 6. He set a hearing on the motions for Dec. 14.

No sentencing date has been set.

Still no sentencing date for Jason Van Dyke in McDonald's murder
 
3 cops accused in conspiracy to cover up McDonald shooting head to trial

11/25/2018

"...On Tuesday, three Chicago Police Department officers will go on trial in the alleged cover-up that followed the shooting, a case that activists say may have more impact on the department and the city than the guilty verdict against Van Dyke.

Special Prosecutor Patricia Brown Holmes — a former federal prosecutor and Cook County judge — leads a team of private attorneys who in 2017 filed charges of obstruction of justice and criminal conspiracy against three officers: Thomas Gaffney, one of the first officers to encounter McDonald the night of the shooting; Joseph Walsh, who stood just a few feet away from Van Dyke as he opened fire on the 17-year-old; and David March, the homicide detective who led the investigation of the shooting for the CPD.

The indictment alleges the three men filed false reports that said McDonald assaulted Gaffney, Walsh and Van Dyke and which portrayed the 17-year-old McDonald as moving aggressively at the officers before he was shot — an account that contradicts dashboard-camera video of the shooting.

The case is an indictment of the way the department has handled accusations of misconduct, large and small, for decades, said activist and independent journalist Jamie Kalven, who sued the city to get access to the dashcam footage...."

3 cops accused in conspiracy to cover up McDonald shooting head to trial
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Chicago cops accused of covering up Laquan McDonald shooting to go to trial

Nov. 26, 2018

"CHICAGO – Three Chicago police officers are set to go to trial Tuesday on charges they conspired to cover up a fellow officer's actions in the police shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

The trial of former Detective David March, former Officer Joseph Walsh and Officer Thomas Gaffney comes two months after former Officer Jason Van Dyke was found guilty of second-degree murder and aggravated battery in the shooting death of the black teen.

The three officers face state charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and misconduct. Prosecutors say they tried to prevent independent investigators from learning the truth about McDonald’s death.

The officers have opted for a bench trial. The case against them will be heard and decided by Cook County Associate Judge Domenica Stephenson, not a jury.

The officers were among several who allegedly reported that McDonald acted aggressively toward them and posed an immediate threat...."

Chicago cops accused of covering up Laquan McDonald shooting to go to trial
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#JasonVanDyke
Marni Jo Snyder Mike Koribanics & Misty Marris Talk Jason Van Dyke Trial 11/26/18

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#JasonVanDyke
Judge Brandon Birmingham Ronn Blitzer & Bob Bianchi Talk Jason Van Dyke Trial 11/26/18

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A look at the key players in trial of alleged cover-up in McDonald shooting

11/25/2018

"The trial of Joseph Walsh, Thomas Gaffney and David March will focus on the hours after officer Jason Van Dyke fired 16 shots at Laquan McDonald. Van Dyke’s trial earlier this fall ended with a rare murder conviction of a Chicago Police officer involved in an on-duty shooting, and the trial of three officers accused in an alleged coverup promises a look at how the department handled the investigation of the McDonald shooting. Here are the key players in the trial, which is set to open Tuesday...."

A look at the key players in trial of alleged cover-up in McDonald shooting
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JerseyGirl said:
Key witness could take stand as trial over alleged police cover-up in Laquan McDonald shooting enters second day
Click to expand...
From link:
Fontaine has been on paid desk duty since telling investigators that she did not make statements attributed to her in March’s police reports. Prosecutors said her fellow officers consider her “a rat” and have told her that she would not be safe on street duty.
Click to expand...
I've always heard the police force in Chicago (and other places) is just another gang and this part of the article really seems to add credence to that.
 
Cop Cover Up Trial Day 1 Part 1 Pretrial Hearing 11/27/18

"Jurors convicted former Chicago cop #JasonVanDyke of second-degree murder in the shooting death of #LaquanMcDonald, but the fallout from this case isn’t over yet. Three other officers are on trial
for allegedly trying to cover up the incident. Thomas Gaffney, former detective David March, and Joseph Walsh face charges of conspiracy, official misconduct, and obstruction of justice. This will be a bench trial, as they have opted to have the case heard by just the judge instead of a jury. Prosecutors claim that the defendants each lied in their reports by saying that McDonald attacked Van Dyke on October 20, 2014."

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Cop Cover Up Trial Prosecution Opening Statement 11/27/18

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Cop Cover Up Trial March Defense Opening Statement 11/27/18

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Cop Cover Up Trial Walsh Defense Opening Statement 11/27/18

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Cop Cover Up Trial Gaffney Defense Opening Statement 11/27/18

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Cop Cover Up Trial Day 1 Part 2 Records handler Joseph Perfetti Testifies 11/27/18

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Cop Cover Up Trial Day 1 Part 3 Investigator Earl Brigs Testifies 11/27/18

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Cop Cover Up Trial Day 2 Part 1 Sgt Jerry Snelling Testifies 11/28/18

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Cop Cover Up Trial Day 2 Part 2 sgt Jerry Snelling Testifies 11/28/18

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Cop Cover Up Trial Day 2 Part 3 Officer Joseph McElligott Testifies 11/28/18

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Cop Cover Up Trial Day 2 Part 4 Officer Dora Fontane Testifies 11/28/18

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Cop Cover Up Trial Day 2 Part 5 Officer Dora Fontane Testifies 11/28/18

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Joseph Scott Morgan & Jesse Weber Talk Cop Coverup Trial & Adnan Syed Hearing 11/29/18

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Cop Cover Up Trial Day 3 Part 1 Motion Hearing 11/29/18

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Cop Cover Up Trial Day 3 Part 2 Jose Torres Testifies 11/29/18

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Cop Coverup Trial Day 3 Part 3 Gaffney Grand Jury Testimony is Read 11/29/18

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