Cases of defendants who say they were tortured by former Chicago police Cmdr. Jon Burge cannot be handled objectively in Cook County, defense attorneys said Monday.
The defense attorneys for a dozen defendants have asked for the appointment of a special prosecutor and have requested that judges outside Cook County handle the cases.
Local prosecutors have a stake in the outcome, the lawyers told Judge Paul Biebel Jr., because they failed over the last 20 years to seek justice for the men who contend they were tortured by Burge or detectives associated with him.
To keep Cook County prosecutors on the cases would represent a conflict of interest, they said, especially since Cook County State’s Atty. Richard Devine once represented Burge.
Defense attorney Flint Taylor suggested the situation was exacerbated last spring when Biebel appointed a special prosecutor to investigate Burge.
“It made the stakes even more extreme,” Taylor said.
Biebel promised a ruling on the motions Feb. 27.
He gave little ground on the question of ordering the cases out of Cook County.
