Stories by Matt Masterson

Richard Zuley, who spent 30 years as a CPD detective, testified that he never verbally or physically assaulted Anthony Garrett, who was sentenced to 100 years in prison following his conviction in the shooting death of 7-year-old Dantrell Davis.

Officials from Chicago and across Illinois expressed condolences and shared their memories of legendary Civil Rights leader Jesse Jackson, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 84.

Ofelia Torres, the 16-year-old whose cancer battle gained national attention last fall after her father was detained by immigration agents outside a suburban Home Depot, has died.

U.S. District Judge Manish Shah signed off on the restraining order Thursday in a lawsuit brought by attorneys general from four states including Kwame Raoul that sought to prevent the cuts.

Preckwinkle urged Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke to act “swiftly, proactively and transparently” in order to ensure accountability after agents have repeatedly used “excessive force."

The Board of Education is no longer working with Alma Advisory Group, which was hired last May to help guide the search for Chicago Public Schools’ next permanent CEO, according to a statement from six board members.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced the new lawsuit, which was filed along with officials from California, Colorado, Minnesota after the Office of Management and Budget’s directive to cut grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — a move that could be enacted as early as Thursday.

The new evidence includes texts to and from Exum following the shooting, surveillance photos and body camera footage from agents who were at the scene of the Oct. 4 shooting of Marimar Martinez.

In her first public comments since the attack, MaGee announced that she was released from Stroger Hospital on Thursday, which she called an “important step in my recovery.”

Marimar Martinez had sought the release of evidence from the incident to combat continued claims from the Department of Homeland Security that she is a “domestic terrorist” who ambushed agents, despite federal prosecutors voluntarily dismissing their case against her.

Alexis Trader, 34, will be detained in Cook County Jail pending trial after he was charged Thursday in the death of 63-year-old captain Nabil Abzal, who was pulled from the harbor waters in the early morning hours of Aug. 30, 2025.

Clerk Mariyana Spyropoulos’ office has launched a new program that allows traffic citations to be transmitted to her office electronically, which she said will cut down on delays and improve overall efficiency.

U.S. District Judge James Hanlon on Tuesday ruled that Juan Espinoza Martinez is likely “at minimum entitled to a bond hearing and not subject to mandatory detention” after he was taken into custody last month.

According to Chicago Police Department data, there were 29 homicides recorded in January. That’s the second lowest total for that month over the past decade and marks a 29% decrease over January 2025 (41 homicides).

Anosh Ahmed, the former Loretto Hospital executive who allegedly fled to Dubai after he was charged in a $15 million embezzlement scheme, has been taken into custody in Serbia, according to federal prosecutors.

Chief Judge Charles Beach had pledged to overhaul the county’s monitoring system following a high-profile arson attack on a Blue Line train last year, allegedly carried out by a man free on electronic monitoring.

A federal judge next week is expected to rule on a request from Marimar Martinez, the woman shot five times by a federal immigration agent last fall, to unseal videos, photos and other evidence from the shooting.

Officer Alain Dillon, 37, has been charged by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office with three felony counts of bribery and 15 felony counts of official misconduct. He has pleaded not guilty.

A federal judge has agreed to dismiss a class action lawsuit brought by Chicago journalists and protesters who sought to limit federal agents’ use of force amid expanded immigration enforcement operations.

A 12-person jury reached its verdict Thursday afternoon in the case of Juan Espinoza Martinez, who was charged in a murder-for-hire plot after prosecutors alleged he offered $10,000 for someone to kill Greg Bovino.

CPS cited “dangerously frigid temperatures” expected Friday in making its decision, saying the possible wind chills of -35 degrees will make it unsafe for students and staff to travel to school.

Federal prosecutors have alleged Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, posted a Snapchat message offering $10,000 for someone to kill Greg Bovino, the controversial Customs and Border Patrol chief. Espinoza Martinez’s lawyers say the message was nothing more than repeating rumors.

The jury was selected Tuesday afternoon as the case got underway inside a 17th-floor courtroom at the Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago. Opening statements are slated to begin Wednesday morning.

Juan Espinoza Martinez is set to go on trial Tuesday on charges alleging he placed a bounty on the head of Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino last fall.

A Chicago tow truck driver is accused of helping steal multiple vehicles while he worked for the city’s Department of Streets and Sanitation.

U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis on Thursday granted a motion from Chicago and Illinois attorneys who sought to reassign their case to her.