Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Gauger Case likely to continue

Gary Gauger's request to Judge Maureen McIntyre for a new trial in McHenry County Circuit Court was denied on Monday.

Gauger, now 58, spent 3 1/2 years in prison, including nine months on death row.

The killers of his parents were caught, and Gauger was released and cleared.

Frankly, it's pretty stupid that McHenry County is putting up such a fight to avoid compensating him.

According to the Northwest Herald article on March 2 (the day after Judge McIntyre ruled), "James Sotos, an attorney for the sheriff's detectives, argued that the details about the later Outlaws investigation were not relevant." Nice try...

Gauger's attorney argued that jurors in his civil trial should have heard that it was federal authorities who were responsible for apprehension of the Outlaws' killers, not deputies of the sheriff's department.

Expect more legal action (and fees).

1 comment:

mike said...

As my knowledge of the case comes from news reports and snippets of "evidence" from both sides perhaps the relevancy issue is somewhat valid. I don't recall there being any physical evidence of the Outlaws involvement other than their admissions amongst one another (and some informant or undercover fed) after Gauger was convicted. Then we have Gauger, a burned out druggie whacko who it seems, according to numerous court decisions, told officers that he dreamed that he may have done something like kill his parents. Just thinking aloud here, but perhaps he may have brought this upon himself? Maybe? Yep, the Feds certainly were responsible for the Outlaws getting convicted. Good on them. Let's all give Gary some money because the Feds learned about it up in Wisconsin. If the Outlaws had fled the area and gone to Canada to began the yapping that ultimately put them behind bars, is Gary entitled to more or less money in that case. After all, in the latter case it would have been even more difficult for the local cops to be "flies on the wall" listening to it. Just my opinion - and apparently that of the courts and juries who've heard all the evidence and the pleas of Gauger - but all that's owed him is the apology of society and his freedom. I think he has both now.