What Did Prosecutors Know About Former Judge Michael Cook?
From the Belleville News-Democrat
St. Clair County prosecutors may have to answer when they found out that former judge Michael Cook was under investigation by federal drug agents.
Circuit Judge Bob Haida will allow attorney Gil Sison to move forward in efforts to win a new trial for his client Kenny Wicks, who was convicted of first-degree murder during a jury trial presided over by Cook in January 2013.
When asked whether Sison will subpoena State's Attorney Brendan Kelly or his assistants, Sison replied, "We aren't ruling it out."
Kelly declined to comment because the case is pending.
There is a status hearing in Wicks' case set for Sept. 4.
A jury convicted Wicks on Jan. 31, 2013, for the murder of James Earl Rogers Jr. The jury also found Wicks was the one who fired the gun. Cook sentenced Wicks to 20 years in the murder charge, plus 25 years for the firearm enhancement.
But it isn't just when prosecutors found out Cook was under investigation, but when he started to use heroin that Sison wants to discover. Confidential informants put Cook's drug use back to before he became an associate judge in 2007, according to federal search warrant applications, and that's part of what Sison wants to know.
"I think that matters. This isn't just because he was under investigation for drugs but because he was a heroin addict who was on the bench making decisions on criminal cases," Sison said.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Belleville News-Democrat
St. Clair County prosecutors may have to answer when they found out that former judge Michael Cook was under investigation by federal drug agents.
Circuit Judge Bob Haida will allow attorney Gil Sison to move forward in efforts to win a new trial for his client Kenny Wicks, who was convicted of first-degree murder during a jury trial presided over by Cook in January 2013.
When asked whether Sison will subpoena State's Attorney Brendan Kelly or his assistants, Sison replied, "We aren't ruling it out."
Kelly declined to comment because the case is pending.
There is a status hearing in Wicks' case set for Sept. 4.
A jury convicted Wicks on Jan. 31, 2013, for the murder of James Earl Rogers Jr. The jury also found Wicks was the one who fired the gun. Cook sentenced Wicks to 20 years in the murder charge, plus 25 years for the firearm enhancement.
But it isn't just when prosecutors found out Cook was under investigation, but when he started to use heroin that Sison wants to discover. Confidential informants put Cook's drug use back to before he became an associate judge in 2007, according to federal search warrant applications, and that's part of what Sison wants to know.
"I think that matters. This isn't just because he was under investigation for drugs but because he was a heroin addict who was on the bench making decisions on criminal cases," Sison said.
Read more in our daily News Update...