Legal team for Chicago cop charged with teen's murder wants a change of venue
Lawyers say the jury pool is too tainted by media coverage of Laquan McDonald.
Lawyers for a Chicago police officer accused of murdering a Chicago teen in a shooting captured on dashcam video that ignited protests in the city and around the country are arguing their client will not be able to get a fair trial in Chicago.
Chicago cop Jason Van Dyke was back in court Thursday as his lawyers argued extensive media coverage of the October 2014 incident in which Van Dyke shot and killed 17-year old Laquan McDonald means Van Dyke will not be able to get a fair trial in Cook County where Chicago is the county seat.
In court, Judge Vincent Gaughan set March 28 as a deadline for Van Dyke’s layers to bring in an expert who has conducted polls, analyzed media coverage and collected data about why the trial should be moved, ABC station WLS reported.
Van Dyke fired 16 rounds at McDonald, killing the teen in an incident that was captured on dashcam video. That video inflamed tensions between Chicago police and the communities they patrol when the tape was released in 2015 after a year-long attempt by the city to keep the video private.
Van Dyke is currently out on bond nearly two-and-a-half years after he was charged with murder in McDonald’s death.