Potential appointment of special prosecutor in Jackie Wilson matter delayed to January

Judge William Hooks said he was sending Wilson’s attorneys’ request for a special prosecutor to investigate possible criminal misconduct by the state’s attorneys office to Chief Criminal Court Judge LeRoy Martin Jr. Martin, on Monday, then said the decision of appointing a special prosecutor would be passed on to his successor and he or she will take up the matter on Jan. 20.

SHARE Potential appointment of special prosecutor in Jackie Wilson matter delayed to January
Jackie Wilson, center, his wife Sandra, left, and niece Candace, right, laugh outside Cook County Criminal Court after a hearing about prosecutorial misconduct Friday afternoon, Oct. 2, 2020.

Jackie Wilson, center, his wife Sandra, left, and niece Candace, right, laugh outside Cook County Criminal Court after a hearing about prosecutorial misconduct Friday afternoon, Oct. 2, 2020. Murder and robbery charges against Wilson, who is a torture survivor of late Chicago Police Department Commander Jon Burge, were dropped amid his third trial in the fatal shooting of two Chicago police officers, after the discovery that Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Nicholas Trutenko concealed a witness.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

The potential appointment of a special prosecutor to look into allegations of wrongdoing by assistant Cook County state’s attorneys who prosecuted Jackie Wilson during his third trial has been delayed until next month.

Wilson, who said he was tortured into confessing to the 1982 murders of two Chicago police officers, was granted a petition for a certificate of innocence Friday after nearly 40 years in prison.

During Friday’s hearing, Judge William Hooks said he was sending Wilson’s lawyers’ request for a special prosecutor to investigate possible criminal misconduct by the state’s attorney’s office to Chief Criminal Court Judge LeRoy Martin Jr.

Martin, on Monday, then said the decision of appointing a special prosecutor would be passed on to his successor and he or she will take up the matter on Jan. 20.

Martin is headed to the appellate court early next month and said he doesn’t have enough time to go through the proper process of appointing a special prosecutor.

“The process of appointing a special prosecutor is nothing that happens quickly. I mention that because as you are no doubt aware, my time on this call expires in 13 days, and there are two court holidays within that time period as well,” Martin said.

“I don’t see me resolving that within that time period. With that in mind, this would probably be a more appropriate matter to be resolved by my successor than by me because my successor would of course have the time to go through the process.”

Wilson’s lawyers asked for sanctions against the state’s attorney’s office, accusing the department of trying to cover up Assistant State’s Attorney Nicholas Trutenko’s wrongdoing in Wilson’s cases.

Wilson’s third trial came to a shocking conclusion in October when special prosecutors dropped charges after learning that Trutenko, who prosecuted Wilson’s second trial, lied on the stand when he testified he had never discussed William Coleman — a key witness — with them.

Trutenko was fired after the state’s attorney’s office learned of his perjury allegations.

“We are referring this matter to the appropriate agencies to determine whether any charges will be brought forward,” the state’s attorney’s office had said at the time. “The CCSAO will not be making that decision due to a conflict of interest.”

The Illinois attorney general’s office Monday said it received a request from the state’s attorney’s office in October to investigate possible perjury charges against a former assistant state’s attorney.

“We reviewed the request while awaiting the court’s resolution of issues related to the trial. That motion for sanctions has been dismissed, and the perjury matter has now been referred to a new judge,” the state attorney general’s office’s statement said. “We are currently waiting for that judge to make a determination about a special prosecutor.”

Contributing: Matthew Hendrickson


The Latest
Eileen O’Neill Burke is leading Clayton Harris III, 50.15% to 49.85%, a margin that changed only by hundredths of a percentage point, after city and suburban officials tallied more mail-in ballots Thursday.
Suspect Romeo Nance’s son witnessed the shooting of at least five relatives, according to Joliet police reports obtained through a public records request. The reports also indicate the child’s mother was more deeply involved in the case than first thought.
Counsell is measured and stoic, more so than Joe Maddon or David Ross. After Justin Steele’s Opening Day injury, Counsell will put his head down, pace and figure it out.
The Cubs opened the season against the reigning World Series champions in Texas.