BY MIKE CETERA
It's good to know that (despite the meddling media) Judge Grant Wegner believes defendants -- and a reputed former leader of the Latin Kings in particular -- can still receive a fair trail in Kane County.
Last week Wegner denied a defense motion to move the murder trials of Angel "Doc" Luciano and his son Michael out of the county because of extensive pre-trial publicity.
"You mention the name Luciano and it's difficult to get a fair and impartial trial," (defense attorney John Paul) Carroll argued.Judge Grant Wegner denied Carroll's motions for both men, saying there was insufficient evidence to prove that the Lucianos could not get a fair trial in Kane County. Wegner said jurors can be pulled from many parts of the county.
"The things that happen in Aurora are unknown to the rest of the county," Wegner said.
Wow. That sure seems like a change of heart from Wegner
Just six months ago, he was calling out one of our reporters for publishing information in the newspaper that jurors weren't supposed to know about (How about admonishing them not to read the paper?). Seems Wegner thought this publicity (routine in any court coverage, by the way) could have tainted the jurors, a strikingly similar argument made by the defense this time around in seeking a change of venue.
From our editorial:
Staff Writer Matt Hanley, in an article Thursday, reported ahead of closing arguments that Aurora gang leader Angel "Doc" Luciano had served time in prison for various felonies and that he has also been charged with a second cold-case murder. It was background information in the final two paragraphs of a short story, the kind of facts that are not uncommon in court reporting.Wegner saw things differently and accused The Beacon News of establishing
grounds for a mistrial. Before the jury came into court Thursday, Wegner publicly said this newspaper reporting inadmissible information on the day jurors started deliberating Luciano's fate - they later found him guilty of the murder of fellow Latin King Willie Arce - might have tainted the trial.
So, which is it, Judge Wegner? Is court coverage unfair to defendants or not?
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