Friday, October 12, 2012
Deerfield man goes on trial for first degree murder Monday for killing a Vernon Hills woman.
A Deerfield man accused of bludgeoning a Vernon Hills woman to death with a baseball bat in April, 2010, was found fit to stand trial today and immediately asked the judge to let him fire his lawyers and represent himself, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune. The trial will begin at 9 a.m. Monday before Lake County Criminal Court Judge Daniel Shanes in Waukegan, according to a spokesperson for the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office. Earlier: Update: Judge Delays Baker Murder Trial Baker attorney Ed Gensen introduced testimony Oct. 5 Baker was mentally unfit to stand trial, according to a report in the Daily Herald. The prosecution presented an expert saying the Deerfield man was mentally competent to assist in his defense which…
Friday, October 5, 2012
Deerfield man accused of beating his girl friend’s Vernon Hills mother to death with a baseball bat more than two years ago may get competency hearing. Judge will decide Friday after possibly hearing from Baker.
(Update: Saturday, 12:30 a.m.) In an unusual legal move, Lake County Criminal Court Judge Daniel Shanes delayed Tuesday start of the murder trial of Daniel Baker of Deerfield in an effort to determine whether the defendant is fit to stand trial, according to a breaking story in the Daily Herald. Shanes indicated today he may call Baker to testify at a special hearing Friday to determine if he is mentally competent to understand the charges against him when the trial begins, according to a story in the Lake County News Sun. The ruling came after lawyers for the prosecution and defense called dueling psychiatrists with different conclusions. “I am considering calling the defendant to testify,” Shanes said in the News Sun article. “This is a …
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Deerfield murder defendant could negate his lawyer’s attempt to use an insanity defense.
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Thursday, September 13, 2012
A Deerfield man accused of beating his then girlfriend’s mother to death with a baseball bat may have invalidated his lawyer’s efforts to use an insanity defense by refusing to talk to experts retained by the Lake County State’s Attorney, according to an article in the Lake County News Sun. Ed Genson, the lawyer for Daniel Baker, who was charged more than two years ago with killing Marina Aksman of Vernon Hills, wants to prove to the court his client is unable to distinguish right from wrong. Genson has introduced evidence from experts. The prosecution has asked to have its psychiatrist examine Baker but the Deerfield man refused to speak. The State’s Attorney claims it could use this to bar the testimony of defense experts. Genson calls …
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Lawyers trying to determine which documents defense must share with prosecution.
Attorneys in the murder case of a Deerfield man are haggling over which documents allegedly demonstrating Daniel Baker’s inability to distinguish right from wrong the defense lawyers must furnish to the prosecution, according to a story in the Lake County News Sun. With the trial set to begin Oct. 9, defendant Daniel Baker’s attorneys were in Lake County Court Tuesday trying to decide which reports, testing, interviews and other material should be given to the Lake County state’s attorney. Baker attorney Ed Genson plans to use an insanity defense. For that tactic to be successful, Genson must prove Baker cannot tell the difference between right and wrong. Baker was accused of bludgeoning the mother of his then girlfriend to death with a …
Monday, August 27, 2012
Psychological reports due soon for Deerfield man accused of murdering his girl friend’s mother.
The Oct. 9 murder trial date for a Deerfield man accused of the bludgeoning death of a Vernon Hills woman, the mother of his then girl friend, could be delayed pending the outcome of psychological reports ordered by defense lawyers, according to an article in the Daily Herald Friday. The prosecution is awaiting additional psychological profiles on Daniel Baker that will clarify what defense experts will argue about Baker’s mental health. “We need to see the supplemental reports,” Assistant State’s Attorney Patricia Fix said in the Daily Herald article. “Then, we may need to hire psychologists to refute their evidence.” The information in the reports could be a reason for delay. According to the Daily Herald story, police reports indicate …
Monday, July 30, 2012
Murder suspect’s lawyers will argue he was insane when he allegedly beat woman to death with a baseball bat.
A Deerfield man accused of beating Vernon Hills woman Marina Aksman to death on April 1, 2010, will claim he was insane at the time of the alleged crime, according to a story in Friday’s Lake County News Sun. Edward Genson, one of the lawyers for Daniel Baker, told Lake County Criminal Court Judge Daniel Shanes Friday he has a psychiatrist who will testify Baker was insane at the time of the killing. According to the News Sun article, criminal insanity means a person does not know the difference between right and wrong. Earlier: Murder Trial Set for Deerfield Man Baker is charged with bludgeoning Aksman to death in her Vernon Hills home and then leaving with her daughter and his then girlfriend, Kristina Aksman, in the victim’s car. He was…
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Family members of murder victim Harry Dahms honor his memory and plead for any intormation from the public.
The children of Harry Dahms, the former Lake County Fair board member who was the victim of a homicide on June 1, issued a statement about their father whom they say had "a huge heart." The following statement was released June 3 on behalf of Dahms' son, Harry Jr. and his daughter, Robin: "Our dad was a hard-working, well-respected man who lived his life the way he wanted to. He wasn’t polished or refined but he had a huge heart and would go out of his way to help others. He loved his family and we love him and miss him terribly. We appreciate all the love, prayers and support we've received. We would like to thank those who have been questioned and have provided information to help this ongoing investigation. We would also like to thank …
Monday, June 4, 2012
The Lake County Sheriff's Office is seeking the public's help in a homicide investigation into the death of former Lake County Board member Harry Dahms.
Officers are looking for any information from the public into the apparent homicide of Harry Dahms, 68, of Russell. He was found at approximately 8:30am June 1 in the driveway of his residence. Dahms was the victim of an apparent homicide. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 14000 block of Russell Road in Russell, for a report of a man down on Friday, according to a press release. Dahms was last seen at his home Thursday, May 31, at approximately 10:10 p.m. He is approximately six feet tall and heavy set. He was wearing a dark shirt, khaki colored shorts and tan work boots, according to the LCSO. The Dahms residence is located on the north side of Russell Road just west of the railroad tracks in Russell. The home …
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Curious about the number of crimes reported in your Patch town in 2010? We've got the FBI tally.
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Thursday, September 22, 2011
The FBI released its 2010 Uniform Crime Report Monday. The north and northwest suburbs served by the Patch sites in Cook and Lake counties are listed below in charts for violent crimes and property crimes. The data reflect communities that reported crime statistics for all 12 months of 2010. Due to a change in state reporting methods, Illinois statistics from 2010 cannot be compared to 2009 statistics, according to the FBI. Glenview, Niles, Wilmette and Glencoe were not included in the FBI's release of data. VIOLENT CRIME: PROPERTY CRIME: The FBI cautions against using this data to rank police departments and community crime rates. When the FBI determines an agency’s data collection methodology does not comply with national Uniform Crime…
Friday, May 20, 2011
Victim's family expresses anger and sadness.
In handing down two life sentences to convicted killer Marni Yang Friday, Judge Christopher Stride said the case stood out in his 20 years of experience in criminal courts. It wasn’t unusual because of the amount of media attention that surrounded the killing because the victim, Rhoni Reuter, was pregnant with the unborn child of former Chicago Bears player Shaun Gayle. It was, he told Yang, becauase of “the methodical, meticulous and maniacal manner in which you committed this crime." Yang received two concurrent life sentences — one for Reuter’s death and one for the death of her unborn child — nearly five years after she plotted to kill Reuter in her Deerfield condominium. Yang, who had been romantically involved with Gayle, saw Reuter …
Wynn Anderson
3:25 am on Friday, September 7, 2012
Don't be an ignoramus and watch the video before you call me a kook or something! more ›