“We had wondered why Cmdr”.
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Jones also said he never personally looked into whether Evans was right- or left-handed. “Now we know”, said the attorney, Stephan Blandin.
The closing arguments were heard in court Thursday in a police brutality case involving Chicago Police Commander Glenn Evans, a 30-year veteran who is accused of shoving his gun down an alleged victim’s throat. “This isn’t about who was telling the truth and who was lying”.
He was “eager to change his testimony at anyone’s request”, the judge said, adding that the DNA evidence was ” of fleeting relevance or significance”.
The Evans verdict marks the second time this year that Cook County prosecutors have suffered a high-profile defeat after bringing charges against a Chicago police officer.
Had Evans been wearing a body camera, the case would have been easier to resolve. The commander was charged after Williams’ DNA was found on Evans’ gun. Evans had been relieved of his duties past year pending the outcome of his case. “He embellished, he embroidered and he lied like the entire IPRA investigation from start to finish”, Morask said.
IPRA’s investigation into Evans is ongoing, according to court testimony.
Evans showed little reaction upon hearing the verdict. That was never done, even though Williams initially insisted that Evans gripped his gun with his left hand when he shoved it down his mouth and held the Taser in his right hand.
The police commander then allegedly stuck his gun inside Williams’ mouth and pressed a Taser against the man’s groin. His gun was swabbed one day after the alleged incident.
Evans’ attorneys had questioned Williams’ credibility and the reliability of the DNA evidence. “Evans had argued against Hobley receiving money in a wrongful conviction case, saying “…I have been held in the crosshairs of this movement…ever since”.
“It’s not OK to commit a crime in the name of solving a crime”, Assistant State’s Attorney Amy Watroba had said. “It’s a smoking, frickin’ cannon”.
Judge Diane Cannon on Monday found Cmdr.
Alvarez, who is facing two challengers in the Democratic primary set for March, said after Monday’s loss that she would not let the set back deter her.
Investigator Lorenzo Davis said he was sacked after refusing to change findings in three separate police shootings that showed that officers were liable of wrongdoing. Freeman had argued that Williams was hit with a “bogus” misdemeanor reckless conduct charge by Evans to “deflect attention” from what had happened in the abandoned house. The footage sparked protests across the city, which led, in part, to the forced resignation of Police Supt.
State experts said they couldn’t determine whether the DNA came from saliva or Williams’ hand.
“Just because DNA is available doesn’t mean it’s probative”, Morask said in her closing argument. Williams testified that he hadn’t been carrying a gun and that Evans must have mistaken it for a cellphone he had been holding.
The final witness for the defense was Scott Ando, who was recently ousted as IPRA’s chief. Others, though, said Evans symbolized the department’s failure to control its officers.
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Morask asked Jones to explain a delay in showing Williams the photo arrays of Evans and other officers at the scene.
