Chicago police fabricated evidence and conspired with City
Hall and county prosecutors to protect then-Mayor Richard Daley’s “political
dynasty” by covering up the involvement of Daley’s nephew in a 2004 killing, a
federal lawsuit by the victim’s mother alleged Monday.
The suit, which relies heavily on the findings of special
prosecutor Dan Webb, also alleged that Daley and certain family members,
friends and associates gave “false, misleading and incomplete statements” as
part of Webb’s investigation into David Koschman’s death.
More than 25 defendants were named in the suit, including
the City of Chicago, Cook County, former police Superintendents Phil Cline and
Jody Weis, numerous other former high-level police officials, State’s Attorney
Anita Alvarez, former State’s Attorney Dick Devine and Daley’s nephew, Richard
Vanecko, who is serving a 60-day sentence for the involuntary manslaughter.
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Video: Koschman: 'My fight was not over'
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Photo: Nanci Koschman
Noticeably absent was Daley himself, though the suit
referred to three unnamed Daley family members, listing them only as “John
Does.” At a press conference, lawyers for Koschman’s mother, Nanci, implied the
former mayor and other family members could be added as defendants after they
gather more information.
Nanci Koschman told reporters Monday that she decided to
file the lawsuit after being shocked to learn from Webb’s voluminous report how
her son’s death was treated by the Police Department and the state’s attorney’s
office.
“After I read this report several times, I realized that my
fight was not over,” she said. “…It seems to me they did everything in their
powers to just make this case go away.”
“There is no bringing my son back, and that’s all I really,
truly want,” she said. “But maybe my small voice can be heard to make a change
for future Davids.”
The suit alleged that Daley or someone closely connected to
him or his family caused high-level police officials to learn within hours of
Koschman’s death that the mayor’s nephew was involved in order to prevent him
from being criminally charged or sued.
“As a result of some back-channel communication that could
only have originated with Vanecko and the other Daley associates, the police
were informed of the identity of the person involved and that’s when the
investigation went off the rails,” said Locke Bowman, one of Koschman’s
attorneys.
The suit alleged that during separate investigations seven
years apart, police fabricated evidence and altered official files, all in a
bid to falsely make it appear that Koschman, 10 inches shorter and more than
100 pounds lighter than Vanecko, was the aggressor in the altercation.
A spokesman for Daley could not be reached for comment
Monday evening, while a Devine representative and an Alvarez spokeswoman
declined comment on the lawsuit.
To bolster their case, Koschman’s lawyers said they intend
to seek grand jury transcripts and any other evidence uncovered by Webb’s
investigation that was not made public. But it could prove difficult to glean
any new answers, especially now that every key witness is essentially locked
into whatever they said to Webb’s special grand jury. Lawyers in civil cases
also have fewer tools at their disposal.
Unlike prosecutors, they cannot threaten prosecution or
offer immunity.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-lawsuit-by-koschmans-mother-says-cops-made-up-evidence-about-sons-death-20140324,0,2421098.story
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