MCHR Weekly Reports in the Jon Burge Trial

June 11, 2010

This Jon Burge trial continued into its third week with the testimony of torture victim Andrew Wilson. Burge is being charged with perjury and obstruction of justice for having lied about his knowledge of and involvement in acts of torture carried out by Chicago police in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Andrew Wilson passed away while serving a life sentence in prison after being charged with killing two Chicago police officers in February of 1982. Wilson’s 1982 confession to the murders was obtained upon being tortured by Jon Burge and other Area 2 detectives. At the objection of defense attorneys, Wilson’s testimony from a 1989 civil trial describing Burge and other Area 2 officers’ use of torture on him was read in court on Monday. The testimony was read by FBI agent Brian Butler. The Chicago Tribune describes Wilson’s testimony as such:

Wilson said he was beaten and kicked by half a dozen detectives. Then Burge came to speak to him.

"He told me I was going to make a statement," Wilson testified in the 1989 civil trial. "He said his reputation was at stake."

A short time later, Wilson testified, Detective John Yucaitis entered with a black box that had a crank on one side and attached wires to Wilson's nose and ears.

"It shocks you. It makes your teeth grind," Wilson testified. "I hollered and kneed him, kicked him ... between the legs. He punched me in the mouth, (and) he cranked it again. I hollered, and he stopped."

After Wilson refused to give a statement to an assistant state's attorney, he was taken back to the interrogation room.

"Burge came in and said, 'Fun time,'" Wilson testified. With that, he and another detective shocked him repeatedly and pressed him against a hot radiator. Burge later brought out a second device that looked like a curling iron but had a wire sticking out of it, he said.

"He jabbed that in my back, and you got the full jolt," Wilson testified. "He stopped because I was spitting blood."

Wilson testified that he eventually confessed to the murders after Burge told him he would be tortured again if he did not make a statement.

Andrew Wilson’s testimony is a key component of the prosecutions case against Burge. Following Wilson’s testimony, former Cook County Jail medical director Dr. John Raba testified to the physical evidence that Wilson had been tortured. Raba described the blistered burns on Wilson's chest, face and right leg, the open wounds on his forehead, a split lip and gash to the back of his head that required stitches, puncture marks on his ears and nose in the shape of alligator clips, and a corneal abrasion.

Additionally, Raba testified that he wrote Superintendent Richard Brzeczek describing Wilson’s injuries and expressing his concern than Wilson had been the victim of police brutality. Raba then described the phone call he received from Cook County Board President George Dunne in response to his concerns. Raba’s description of his conversation with Dunne indicated that Dunne knowingly ignored and perhaps attempted to cover up the torture used by Jon Burge.

In response to defense attorney’s claim that Wilson’s testimony implicating Burge was made up and that Wilson’s wounds were self-inflicted, Raba said "I can't recall seeing anyone who would self-inflict a wound like that across the face that wasn't floridly psychotic,"

The Burge trial will continue on Monday, June 14 with the testimony of Detective Michael Mcdermott. Mcdermott is expected to testify to having witnessed Burge abuse and point a gun at suspects in order to obtain a confession

For more information on the Chicago Police Torture Cases see Midwest Coalition for Human Rights resources.

This week's news on the Jon Burge trial:

Chicago Tribune: Dead cop killer's testimony read to Burge jury - June 7, 2010

Chicago Tribune: Burge Trial: Doctor asked for probe of inmate's injuries - June 8, 2010

Huffington Post: Prosecuters Wrapping Up, As Dead Man's Testimony Is Read - June 8, 2010