Recently in Defense & Process Category

Chuck Dai, the accused owner of an abandoned South Side commercial laundry building, made his first court appearance exactly one year after being charged for criminal contempt in the death of two Chicago firefighters, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. His bail was set at $50,000.

The firefighters, Corey Ankum and Edward Stringer, were killed in December 2010 after responding to a fire in Dai's building. Dai is accused of failing to secure the building and repair the roof despite a court order, which led to the roof's collapse and the firefighters' deaths.

The city of Rockford, IL has received the distinction of being one of the most dangerous cities in America, reports Forbes.

Primarily based on the FBI’s 2010 uniform crime report, the rankings analyzed the numbers for four categories of violent crimes - murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault - of cities with a population of 200,000 or more.

Rockford’s high crime rate is said to be based on a number of complex factors. One of these factors includes its recent switch to a more accurate crime reporting system which can result in higher reported rates of crime than other cities with less sophisticated measures.

Has the Rod Blagojevich corruption fiasco come to an end? In possibly the worst birthday present ever, U.S. District Judge James Zagel sentenced the disgraced former governor to 14 years in prison on Wednesday, four days before his 55th birthday, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

Despite Blago's last-minute plea for leniency, Zagel looked toward the lasting consequences of his crimes in determining his sentence. During a sentencing hearing, a judge will consider several factors to determine the appropriate sentence. The judge can consider factors such as if the person is a repeat offender or those injured by the crime.

"When it is the governor who goes bad, the fabric of Illinois is torn and disfigured and not easily or quickly repaired," Zagel said.

Cecilia White was apparently kidnapped from her home early Monday morning in Lynwood. She later escaped and notified the police about the kidnapping, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. She also alerted police that her husband, Eugene White, was still in the home at the time of the kidnapping and that she was concerned about his well-being.

When police arrived at the home, they found Eugene White dead in a rear bedroom with two gunshot wounds to the chest and one to the head, reports the Sun-Times. In this Lynwood murder mystery, it's still unclear what motives the killers had, why Cecilia White was kidnapped, how she escaped, and who committed the crime.

Your first introduction to the legal system may come in a criminal case. While every criminal case is different, there are some steps that are common to all.

If you are ever involved in a criminal matter, you will want to have some idea of the process that you face. Here's a quick summary on the stages of a criminal case:

Former Illinois Fighting Illini basketball player Jereme Richmond was released from a Lake County Jail a second time after he posted a higher bond due to a failed drug test.

Richmond had been charged with aggravated battery and unlawful use of a weapon. The former basketball player is accused of beating and threatening a woman believed to have been someone he dated, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

It costs almost four times as much to send a kid to the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center than it does to send a kid to Harvard University, says county board president Toni Preckwinkle.

As Preckwinkle prepares to unveil her $3 billion spending plan for the next year, she talked about the problems of the underage jail population, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

Judge James Booras recused himself from the Anthony Kelley case as the judge and defendant are members of the same church.

Anthony Kelley, 40, and his mother are accused of abusing their 74-year-old father and husband. The pair allegedly tied the bedridden elderly man to his bed with duct tape, beat him, and sprayed him with pepper spray, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. If convicted, each faces five years in jail.

Jimmy Mounts and Tiffany Stantz were to stand trial on charges of reckless conduct and battery in the death of aspiring rapper Josh Powell. But just before the trial was to start, Mounts pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and may avoid jail time altogether.

Last year, Josh Powell performed at a house party with his band Krazy Killaz. At the party, Powell was offered $5 from Mounts to take a punch by a girl. Powell, a 25-year-old man who weighed 140 pounds, accepted and he was punched by Tiffany Stantz, a 22-year-old woman weighing 142 pounds.

A Chicago Heights home was clearly marked with signs of “No Trespassing,” “We Call Police,” and “Alert One Security Systems.” Yet, 18-year-old Anterrio Hall chose to ignore these warnings and broke into the home owned by a sickly man. As a result, the teen was shot dead, and charges may be brought against the homeowner that may call into question Illinois self defense laws.

About 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning, the unidentified homeowner was in his bathroom when he heard glass breaking in his kitchen, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. The man retrieved a gun and saw that Hall had broken in. The sickly man who uses an oxygen canister to breathe shot Hall multiple times, killing him.