03-10-2014, 08:44 PM
This loser is James Degorski. He's $450,000 richer today.
![[Image: james-degorski-2009-10-20-22-10-9.jpg]](http://nimg.sulekha.com/others/thumbnailfull/james-degorski-2009-10-20-22-10-9.jpg)
He and his good buddy killed seven people back in 1993. They're both serving life sentences.
They shot and stabbed two restaurant owners and five workers at Brown's Chicken and Pasta during a botched robbery in Chicago. The bodies were found in a walk-in cooler and freezer.
It wasn't until 2002 that PD cracked the case; at which time Degorski, now 41, alleges that a Cook County Jail guard (Officer Wilson) punched him and broke his cheekbone and eye socket — just after Degorski's arrest in what had been one of the most notorious, unsolved murder cases in Illinois history.
"We were only allowed to say he (Degorski) was convicted of murder. ... It wasn't explained to them (the jury) how vicious this guy was," Winters (Officer Wilson's attorney) said.
That was relevant, he added, because his client did know during the 2002 incident about the chilling allegations against Degorski and believed he needed to be aggressive in subduing him.
"Officer Wilson knew who this guy was," Winters said. "So when he was attacked, he was going to respond in kind. We believe this was a case of self-defense."
The jury said Degorski should get $225,000 in compensatory damages, which is the amount Cook County must pay, attorneys said; $226,000 in punitive damages would have to be paid by Wilson.
Refs:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/26091...rders.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/10...32726.html
He and his good buddy killed seven people back in 1993. They're both serving life sentences.
They shot and stabbed two restaurant owners and five workers at Brown's Chicken and Pasta during a botched robbery in Chicago. The bodies were found in a walk-in cooler and freezer.
It wasn't until 2002 that PD cracked the case; at which time Degorski, now 41, alleges that a Cook County Jail guard (Officer Wilson) punched him and broke his cheekbone and eye socket — just after Degorski's arrest in what had been one of the most notorious, unsolved murder cases in Illinois history.
"We were only allowed to say he (Degorski) was convicted of murder. ... It wasn't explained to them (the jury) how vicious this guy was," Winters (Officer Wilson's attorney) said.
That was relevant, he added, because his client did know during the 2002 incident about the chilling allegations against Degorski and believed he needed to be aggressive in subduing him.
"Officer Wilson knew who this guy was," Winters said. "So when he was attacked, he was going to respond in kind. We believe this was a case of self-defense."
The jury said Degorski should get $225,000 in compensatory damages, which is the amount Cook County must pay, attorneys said; $226,000 in punitive damages would have to be paid by Wilson.
Refs:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/26091...rders.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/10...32726.html