Chapter 7: How does a major lie make its way into a court.
Where was the American Civil Liberties Union when I needed them! I've taken and passed the Constitution tests three times in school. So much for having the U.S. and IL Constitution when the Judicial System allows Palatine and State Officials misconduct to make a mockery of the Courts and Laws of our land. As Mr. Napue pointed out to the Court way back in the days, "A lie is a lie no matter what, lies have no place in the court room; nothing can destroy a government more quickly than it's failure to observe its own Laws!" In this Cook County Case No. 02-CR-15430 (1) the State's Attorney knowingly encouraged, introduced, and covered up perjury against me; violating the Preamble and Amendments of our Constitution!
Palatine Detectives, etc. interrogated me for just short of 2 days, then paraded me out of their sally port garage door through The Press, and then ran to The Press's cameras to tell the Public that they got both the suspects in the Brown's murders - CASE CLOSED! Having made such a declaration in 2002, they now refused to recant their statements, and false reports, or just clean them up a little, preferring to lie under oath instead, even though The Press definitely report news in a slant favoring law enforcement...Still refusing to recant when their fingerprint expert later cleared my prints, and their Techs cleared my hair root DNA, while I was sitting in Cook County Jail waiting for results... Still refusing to recant after they talked to more people and had time to look into Anne's character and story...Still refusing to recant when I expressed excitement of going home soon after seeing a legal filing in the court room when I noticed an eyewitness's name...Palatine Detectives are still refusing to recant after appeals completely discrediting their key witness.
Under oath in 9-8-09 (pg 8-187), and on 9-20-07, (pg 120-189) Detective Sergeant King had no problem lying in Court! Like denying knowing Melissa before 2002, as I mentioned earlier. King goes on telling my Jurors there was NO PRESSURE to solve this case, lying to cover up any argument or insinuation of how they rushed to arrest and just pin this case on both of us. Truthfully, there was immense pressure for anyone human to solve this case! This was the horrific murder of 7 Citizens (Taxpayers) in the quiet low crime Palatine suburbs, quickly rolling up to the 10 year anniversary in 8 short months when we were arrested. Mr. Frank Portillo added pressure in 1994 by announcing he would match any reward amount, bringing the total reward up to $240,000! The Better Government Association's (better gov.com) added pressure when they wrote a report in 1997 criticizing Palatine Police for trampling the crime scene! This case was also very political. One of the victims worked in President Jimmy Carter's campaign office and the victim owner's daughter was a State Senator! And for this case Palatine Police hired the media relation consultant Rick Rosenthal to create positive press! There honestly was "pressure" to solve this case and it's apparent it's a standard practice for these Detectives (ASAs) to fabricate evidence and lie to close a case; giving the taxpayers a false sense of security! Hmmm...why else would the police lie!
Next to the reliable eyewitness, corroborating evidence carries the most weight in a Courtroom - case closed. Whenever evidence doesn't line up with other evidence, testimony, or reality, the credibility should be called into question. In this case, the perjury against me - even the corroborating testimony stood out like a red flag waving, but the P.D.s didn't confront it, nor did The Press expose it!
For example, Sergeant King told a long bizarre fabrication of how I jumped up in between them during the 2 day interview (interrogation) to excitedly show them how the victim, Mr. Solis, offered me a wad of cash from his pocket, then went on to claim I said that I told Mr. Solis to "put that fucken money back in your pocket and get in the back!" For the corroboration, Palatine Detective Stoeckel testified (9-3-09 pg 54-65) validation of this claim by saying he "found $181 cash in Mr. Solis's pocket", just as I jumped up to show King, etc. how Mr Salis dug in his pocket pulling out this wad of cash - CASE CLOSED!...My P.D.s never questioned King's highly incriminating story by asking why I would refuse $181 cash, if by their highly incriminating story I OWE EIleen $50, that I needed to pay back that $50 loan out of the robbery money! Or at the least, question King's story of how an alleged mass murderer could just jump up in between Detectives for this excited digging of hands into my pocket demonstration, and neither one slammed me to the floor!
Sergeant King claims they knew Anne's story was genuine when she said we told her one of the Victim's vomited, corroborating this with a photo - CASE CLOSED!...She was obviously shown crime scene photos of this, as when she attempted the 9:48 stopped clock corroboration. The angle of seeing this couldn't be seen by the murderer, the photo of this was taken while removing the bodies, plus a medical examiner said it wasn't loud vomit, but in fact unswallowed, barely chewed french fries that the man had been eating.
Detectives had obviously shown Anne photos of the crime scene, for some undisclosed reason! in an attempt to create a false corroboration with the Detectives, Anne testified (9-9-9 pg 20:3) that they said they "did something to the clock," referring to a broken clock stopped at 9:48 pm, documenting the time of the crime - CASE CLOSED!... Good try, but she completely messed up the corroboration. Later, a witness was shown a photograph of a cracked lens wall clock stopped at 9:48 pm when the murderers cut the power at the circuit breaker! NOTHING was done to this clock to stop it at 9:48!!! Another witness seeing this photo said the lens had been broken for years! But P.D.s never connected this to Anne's stopped clock corroboration.
Sergeant King claims that I confessed to him that we parked the car IN FRONT of the pet store, watching for the last customer to leave. King said that I said it was a lady driving a blue van with two program participants she loaded into the Little City van. Completely corroborating this with Debbie Meadows testimony (9-3-09 pg 8-15) that confirmed she was the last customer caring for 2 children that got into her blue van by the pet store - CASE CLOSED!... P.D.s were completely aware that Juan's well known, rare car wasn't seen in this area, nor did our friends that work in that strip mall identify us to be in the area! In particular, no one from Northwest Pet Shop, which I buy feeders from, and I had friends who worked there, (and they were getting off work at this same time that we were collecting surveillance corroboration for), yet no one saw Juan or me as they were going to their cars! If it wasn't obvious King fabricated this highly incriminating corroboration, it should've been completely obvious when Anne testified the next day, claiming we parked the get away car BEHIND the strip mall because she knew I shopped at that pet store. Reality check, behind that strip mall is a huge open field (power lines with a bike trail running through it - bad place for a get away car!) It should be obvious BOTH Anne and King were lying, dragging me into this case! Hmmm...
During interrogation, I told King, etc. that I would have no reason to destroy a gun or to throw a gun in a river or any body of water. I don't need the National Geographic or Discovery Channel to know it would be stupid to throw a steel gun into fresh water. It won't rust, and would be there forever, or until a fisherman snags it and turns it into the police, knowing it was used in a crime...The Judge wouldn't allow the ASA to use an officer's stand- in gun as a prop in the courtroom, so when King lied on the stand saying a fisherman recovered a 38 cal. gun exactly where I supposedly told him I threw the murder weapon - the Judge stopped the ASA/King's fabrication of evidence, but couldn't do a jury instruction because my P.D.s didn't even flinch to stop/object to this highly incriminating lie!
Not only did Sergeant King etc., go out and witness tamper/obstruct justice with Casey Sanders, they also obstructed justice with Walter Hanger who stood there watching me get arrested in Indianapolis. They took advantage of his slowness due to lack of oxygen as a child to cover up my illegal arrest, and fabricated a story with him that I supposedly asked him, "Can a murderer still go to heaven?" My P.D.s didn't ask Hanger if we in fact only had a conversation about SERIAL child molesters going to heaven, referring to his brother and Hanger's supervised visit with his daughter! Plus, my P.D.s knew that I was a closet Christian, didn't agree with Hanger preaching at work, and have been "saved" by Jesus and Mrs. Rowe - going to heaven since 1991! My P.D.s didn't even use letters from co-workers quoting Hanger, using the word "arrested" in the work parking lot!
The BGA was right, Palatine Police destroyed evidence that could've solved this case and/or cleared an innocent person!!! Detectives failed to collect evidence from under the fingernails of the bagged hands of a victim that physically engaged the robbers, before she was prepared for burial!...Sergeant King didn't get a full hand print from one of the victims, or simply dole out the task , before the man was buried...Sergeant Robert Jacobsen testified on 9-10-09 (pg 10-46) that Sergeant King was only VISUALLY DOCUMENTING the shoe and sole prints, with the Police trampling on the crime scene! This incompetence of the Detectives opened the door for the ASA to play a long, gruesome videotape of the victims in full rigamortis, being dragged and stuffed into body bags! This video shouldn't have been allowed on the big screen just feet in front of the Jurors. When the horrific video ended, I complained to my P.D. that they let the ASA play the video that didn't even "document" Sergeant Jacobson's shoes, which was the only reason the Judge had allowed the ghastly video! NO ONE is denying 7 people were brutally murdered and stuffed into body bags. My Jurors families, my family, and the rest of the public shouldn't have been shown that anger inciting video!
My P.D.s just let these witnesses, Detectives, Anne, Eileen, etc. spew highly incriminating quotes supposedly from me - without asking logical questions or even 'why?'. Like what use is Juan and I "walking through the snow strangely across the parking lot." Wouldn't this cause unwanted attention under the parking lot lights, and what use was this since, according to their story, I was planning to throw away my shoes!...Why "wedge that door shut, keeping victims from running", won't they be using that exact door to take out the trash etc, while we ate!... The evidence shows the two murderers apparently sat under table lights in front of large picture windows along busy Smith Street where cars stop, waiting for the traffic light; I knew too many people in this area to sit there!... They say we wiped tables, counters, etc., and mopped the whole place. Why would I take these time consuming precautions - I make huge fireworks and could simply make a delay firework to set the cluttered office (whole place) ablaze in minutes while I'm miles away creating a false alibi at Jake's Pizza Pub!... They said that I said "I came out the back service door and stood there for 5 seconds looking around." They claimed I said this before I made a scene in the courtroom seeing Pisano's name, who actually saw this happen - BUT for some reason the Detective didn't have David corroborate this 5 second long observation!...They said I said we threw our bloody clothes, shoes, etc. in dumpsters on the way to the Carpentersville Jewel - why, I have prior knowledge that my employers check their expensive garbage dumpsters for illegal dumpers and report them to the Police. Eileen discredits his story by claiming to supposedly seeing "bloody gloves SOMEWHERE in Juan's car!" ...The Detectives took all of my size 11.5 shoes from my home, took the shoes I was wearing, and twice came to Cook County Jail, taking barefoot molds, tracings, oil prints on paper, measurements, and photographs - desperately trying to Cinderella Analysis Match me to the size 9 Reebock or the size 13 "LIGHTLY WORN" Nike shoe prints that came in the front door, through the crime scene, out the back door, and across the snow covered parking lot. Truthfully, King knew I didn't rob Brown's, so I feel he inappropriately loved playing with my feet! They say that I said I planned to throw away my shoes, so why throw new shoes in dumpsters? ....Many of my real friends would've testified that I'm very frugal, my only pair of "lightly worn shoes" were my dress shoes back then, and I had a row of 3-5 pairs of HIGHLY WORN shoes to work on cars, fish, paint, etc. in 1993! They said that I said we rushed to the Carpentersville Jewel to establish an alibi without listing a single alibi witness - in reality, Jake's Pizza was my '89-02 meeting place. They fabricated this to ruin my true alibi of being way out in the Woodstock area, no where near Palatine! I could go on and on about the insanity they were allowed to spew in the Public Courtroom, when in fact, almost everything they said should've been discredited pretrial, instead of wasting my Jurors time, as they made a mockery out of the court!
My family and friends know that I talk very (too) fast! When Sergeant King was asked why it took over 42 HOURS of my "full cooperation" regarding a 40 minute crime - moreover, why did the 42 HOURS only result in King's vague wishy washy 10 minute testimony; then and only THEN, did he finally let the cat out of the bag contradicting their claim of "fully cooperating since picking him up in Indy."when King finally said, "Jim was just staring at the wall - - -quiet, a lot of thought process - - - a lot of quietness - - -TOTAL SILENCE!" Yes, I kept remaining silent, begging to use the phone when they kept blaming me for Juan not being arrested in 1995, pissing them off recounting my alibi for Juan over and over, threatening my family and friend's privacy and lives, threatening my life and to have my body violated in Cook County Jail! I would break my silence, begging and demanding to be processed and taken to see a Judge or to call my attorney - only to be blasted with more insults, accusations, and threats, leg grabs, toe/foot stepped on, shoulder twisted, and not allowed to remain silent - I had NO RIGHTS!...I met ATTORNEY Cary Collins through Karen Hottie Adrianopoly and my buddy Mike O'Malley Sr. in a 1987 St. Patrick's Day Parade/Fest committee we were all volunteering at. I worked with Cary in 1998 at the Hoffman Estates Park District. I've also been recommending Cary's Law firm ever since meeting him; the last client was Mrs. Mann before I moved out of state in 2000. My P.D.s knew all of this and saw him on my 1999 phone list they had. (EXHIBIT L) Nor did my P.D.s subpoena my sister's best friend's Attorney Dad from the Noble & Welker Law Firm that did my parent's complicated divorce pro-bono, to testify. If the Detectives had allowed me to call them, they would've had an Attorney waiting for me at Palatine (Streamwood) Police Stations within 5 minutes, or before I even got there, to help me communicate with these unprofessional police! I'm a slight smart ass, I know I need an Attorney!
Law enforcement was already making a mockery of the Courts during my 3 day (8-31-07, 9-20-07, 10-5-07) 2007 hearing testifying in my Quash illegal arrest motion, starting with their claims they that they traveled all the way to Indianapolis, IN, to simply give me a ride, as if I didn't, in fact, have multiple, very reliable licensed vehicles and a motorcycle. Palatine, IL, Detectives saw me driving under surveillance as they were following me 24/7 for a week! Proof of the illegal arrest in my work parking lot started when Palatine Detectives called Indiana Police, claiming to the dispatcher that they had a "Warrant for my arrest" before meeting the assisting police. This was a lie that the Bonjean Law Group exposed with (EXHIBIT M), and in fact only actually got a warrant to arrest Juan right before simultaneously arresting us; never contacting an Indiana Judge, because the Palatine Detectives wanted to illegally get around Indiana's extradition laws, to hold me incommunicado. And they witness tampered along with lying under oath to cover this up!
I feel the illegal arrest is obvious by their actions alone, testifying how they picked me up then took Interstate-74, which is, in fact, going way out of the way to get to Palatine, IL(Streamwood, IL), but obviously they were racing to the IL border! I've traveled from the greater Chicagoland area to Indianapolis for years, and later on my monthly trips back to the Palatine area to visit family and friends, and for business - I've NEVER taken this I-74 route in snow storms, construction, or crash shut downs! I usually take I-65, the fastest and most direct route to the Palatine area, BUT that would mean the Illinois Detectives would have been in the state of Indiana for most of the trip. If you asked Google Maps today for the fastest route from Zionsville, IN, to Palatine, IL, ALEXA would never say "I-74"!!!
My Judge in the '07 Quash hearing, and my Jurors in '09 were, told by Law Enforcement Officers that as we were pulling out of my work parking lot Sergeant King had to get back out of the car because "we were lost"! Hmmm....ask yourself out loud, why didn't the 8 P.D.s simply ask HOW could they possibly be "lost" with Jim in their car! ...By their own account I was "fully cooperating" and had just driven to the Palatine Police Station (twice, I was blown off the first time) to be "interviewed a month earlier", and everyone knew that I went to school K-12 in Palatine, and this was my parking lot, and if you asked Alexa/Siri or Google Maps today they would tell you, "The directions to I-465 is,---RIGHT TURN, 3 min/1 mile to I-465 clearly marked on ramp". Law Enforcement were openly lying in Court to cover up that King got out of the car on surveillance to ask Indiana Law Enforcement Officers to sign as witnesses on a scribbled old note pad saying, "Degorski agrees to go to Palatine, IL", - which they all refused to sign! So, Palatine, IL, Detective Dan Briscoe had to sign as a witness that I wasn't illegally arrested.
At the Quash hearing five years after the arrest, the Indiana Sheriff was willing to lie - the most obvious lie was King being "lost"and the directions were so complicated (Right Turn) that he had to escort us back to I-465 in corroboration with King. But I think there were red flags waving on 8-31-07 when Hamilton County Sheriff Kerry Milligan testified that my only duty there was to observe that my RIGHTS weren't violated, and that he observed "NO FRISK" (pg 32:2-6), from by his own account 6 feet away at his front bumper, at King's back bumper, and at my back bumper. But Sergeant King at the next hearing date (9-20-07 pg 137:20 -138:1), testified "after Jim moved his one pail of tools into his personal truck, he ACTUALLY turned around and put his hands on his truck as Detective Briscoe checked his WAIST- only for 10 seconds to make sure Degorski didn't have ANY weapons on him" - hmmm...in a conceal-carry state, supposed mass murderer suspect, 34 inch waist, only for TEN s-e-c-o-n-d-s, a "weapon" could be a needle in a pocket, knife in a shoe, gun on an ankle, hmmmm...why would Law Enforcement lie about a frisk?
What they were covering up was an illegal arrest! Sergeant King, etc. knew I had family and Attorney friends when I came to Illinois in April one month earlier to talk to them. What truthfully happened here was at 3:30 pm on May 16, 2002, I pulled into our company's satellite parking lot on Michigan Ave. which was attached to the Gas America Gas Station (8-31-07 pg 14:2, 17:2-19:14, 29:20,21). As I was standing in between my Company van and personal truck doing paperwork, and starting to move my tools into my truck as I do everyday, all of a sudden my truck was blocked in from the front and back by Palatine Detectives, etc. Seconds later I was surrounded by at least six Palatine Detectives and at least four Indiana Troopers and Sheriff, as Sergeant King told me I had to go to Illinois to talk. I answered saying they should've called me, not emarrassed me at work, and continued saying, as I moved my tools, Go, I'll be right behind you, I drive fast. I need to turn in paperwork, phobia of public toilets and I need to take a huge BW#2 dump, and let my sister know I'll be in Illinois, so we have to cancel our dinner/remodeling plans and my job interview at 4 Seasons Sunroom (Indy Star Classified). As soon as I moved my last tool, all hell broke loose - King and Briscoe came in between the van/truck (others advancing behind them) telling me I'm "under arrest, turn around and put your hands on the truck".
Before I turned around, Detective Briscoe was roughly full body frisking/patting/inspecting/checking/rubbing me, taking my set of keys and my wallet! They wouldn't allow me to bring my asthma inhaler, allergy/cold meds., or my mobile phone just three feet away as they, with hands on, escorted me to their cars at my bumpers! While I was being frisked, I had the time to tell my co-worker, Walter Hanger, to tell our foreman James Blazek to call my family (he knows them and they are on my "Emergency Contacts" for work) and tell them I "was arrested" and taken to Palatine, Illinois -proven to my P.D.s in many prayerful letters I gave them (NEVER got back) from a bunch of my co-workers while sitting in Cook County Jail days later: using the words,"arrested", "embarrassing having our work parking lot stormed by Police", "frisked", "taken away", describing what Walter told them while watching my illegal arrest from the tailgate of my truck with Indiana Police! But Walter was tampered with and didn't testify at the Quash hearing.
Their threats started immediately BEFORE getting into their police car, one of the surrounding police chuckled out "shoot him if he runs". Once in the back of their car, King slid in next to me. I asked to use their mobile phones to have my family friend Attorney meet us at Palatine Police Station and to have my tools picked up - they aren't insured anymore in my personal truck. While begging to also use the nonpublic washroom at the office and turn in my paperwork, or use the bathroom at my sister's right down the street. King passed me the (EXHIBIT N) scribbled on note pad that I reluctantly signed; cooperating, hoping to use the toilet and phone, and knowing that once Blazek called my Emergency Contact, my Attorney would be waiting for me in Palatine. That is truthfully when and why King got back out of the car and had his partner Briscoe sign the paper instead of the Indiana Police, who had refused. They weren't "lost", only lying under oath!
The whole time I was in their custody, I kept begging to use the phone to supposedly have my tools picked up - because truthfully it wasn't "Jim moved one pail of tools", as King lied to my Judge! In fact, as I did everyday, I moved two 5 gallon buckets overflowing with tools and with pockets on the outside of the buckets; pockets full of hand tools, moved a 30" x 24" x 18" storage tote overflowing with power tools, and bright orange and yellow heavy duty 50 ft. and 100 ft. extension cords with 3-way octopus plugs and bright yellow carpenter's levels on top of the backrest, and moved a tool belt with two pouches - six pockets full of more tools - all conservatively valued at over $5,000 not including priceless inherited tools from my Dad and Grandpa! Kathy M. went to my work the next day looking for me. (EXHIBIT O) My Foreman described how Walter had told him that I was arrested in the work parking lot the day before. Leslie L. rushed over to help Kathy get my truck and tools to a safe location - both knew something was drastically wrong with me since I had not called anyone, and had left a copious amount of tools in clear view of Michigan Ave. just feet away. (EXHIBIT P)
Others arrested for this case in the past were taken to the Palatine Police Station or Rolling Meadows Courthouses' 24/7 States Attorney's Office. These Detectives drove me PAST both, even PAST the ASA 's Cold Case Unit in Chicago, covertly taking me to the unrelated town of Streamwood's Police Station. Palatine Police Chief Koziel testified on 9-20-07 (pg 56:12-58:2) claiming this location was used only because of "parabolic satellite microphones" infesting the NONpublic interrogation rooms inside the bowels of the Palatine Police Station and I'm guessing Rolling Meadows and Chicago's ASA Offices were infested, too!!! Taxpayers should be proud of how Streamwood spends their town's money with integrity. The only one in the courtroom that attempted to confront this mockery of the Judicial System, questioning this Authority, was the Court's Reporter, asking him to repeat his "parabolic Mike" answer, rolling her eyes as she typed on. What Policeman couldn't just pull into their sally port garage leading to their basement interrogation rooms, that were swept for bugs - there must have been massive integrity issues within the Palatine Police Department!
Instead of just bringing me to Chicago, they had ASA McHale from the Cold Case Unit and his Videographer drive way out to Streamwood. McHale testified against me on 9-20-09, claiming I immediately confessed to these crimes for over an hour, but since he was tired and a little under the weather, he went to another room and took a nap (9-14-09 pg 61:1-15) until 5 am, NEVER once came back into the room or looked into the room through the one-way mirror (9-14-09 pg 50:2-18)! So my P.D. asked McHale if the Detectives contaminated the interview with any police reports etc. , (9-14-09 pg 71) feeding details of this case during those 7 hours he was sleeping in the other room, since this case has a long history of false confessions with details never released to the public - where McHale was allowed by my Judge and Appellate Judges to testify as an unscientifically proven expert human lie detector (9-14-09 pg 71-74) for what happened while he was sleeping in the other room, validating everything the Detectives claim to be quoting and claiming of me, then rested their case on McHale's testimony!
They continued to interrogate me until 7 am the next morning, 5-17-02. Instead of releasing me, or letting me use the phone, or see a judge, they put me in a cell. I was exhausted, but I couldn't sleep. I ignored the Police cell checks, almost nodding off in between loud key and door locks every 15-30 minutes. Some hours later, Sergeant King , etc. (NO Detective Briscoe anymore) took me out of the cell assuring me no one knew I was there, making fun of "Walter" being an idiot ("fucken retarded")- using his full name, which I never said, and Walter is kinda slow. I completely believed that my foreman, James, never got my message, and the Detectives were telling me,"this will go on for days", while bringing me back to the same stark interrogation room, now adding a little table to the 3 chairs, demanding that I make a video repeating their narration which was an absolute lie, or even make a sarcastic video, and then they would let me use the phone.
Another Chicago Cold Casa ASA, Bill Kellacky, drove way out to Streamwood, IL, to threaten me to lie about myself and Juan. He plopped down in the chair across the little table, whipped out a revolver, repeatedly slammed the butt of his scratched up, black revolver with a well worn wooden handle on the table, asking me if I'd ever seen one like this, while voicing, he hoped that it wasn't loaded. My P.D. never attempted to get the table and match the marks to the gun as promised. On 8-31-07, he denied he did this, though he does own a gun as described (8-31-07 pg 45:7-49:4), but he was sure he left it out in his car that day.
I was told over and over, this is the Detectives' show, make their video and they will let you use the phone. Though the videographer was set up in the one-way mirror room the whole time, they didn't simply record(as required by law now) the interrogation of this 9 1/2 year old cold/heater case. Only one short 4 minute video was made the following night after many attempts to make a video, (when I reluctantly did videos in the hopes that they would keep their promise and let me use their phone. Mine had been taken in Indiana.) But despite my cooperation, the Detectives NEVER kept their end of the bargain and let me use their phone while in their custody!!! ASA Killacky came back into the interrogation room to witness me sign a consent form to video tape AND take a second DNA sample at the same time (8-31-07 pg 36:16-20, 51:4-8) in order to clear my name of the 2nd DNA found on the 4 piece meal... Over and over I repeated my November, '95 vague alibi for Juan that should've ruined it, adding a full recant 'if' he was now saying he was in Brown's, while expressing absolute amazement that Juan had taken a job at Baker's Square less than a block away from Brown's in 1993, passing Brown's daily! I told the Detectives that since I was a young teen, I always had enough money to pay my own way and to be generous with Family and friends by fixing people's cars, boats, motorcycles, etc., working long hours. And I admitted to selling booze and weed while party hopping all over the Chicagoland area almost every weekend, letting them know about all of "my" PRE 1993 employers that had thousands on hand with absolutely no security, yet were never robbed, and expressing my innocence in this case!
Sergeant King would signal the videographer or whoever was in that one-way mirrored room - assuming to start - stop the video, editing 42 hours into a 4 minute 32 second so -called confession video. McHale assured me this is the Detectives show whenever I irritated King by asking for an asthma inhaler, a call to get my tools, a call to concerned family, or to talk to my Attorney, or to see a Judge. McHale would restart their narration over and over. They used this 4 minute video to convince my Judge of my absolute cooperation, confessing every detail they claim I said, which is an absolute lie!...That video did clearly show what I've told my P.D.s since day one, I was exhausted after work and a night of drinking with friends and a visiting relative the night before being arrested, suffering from spring allergies and suffocating with untreated asthma, BUT the Detectives and ASA appeared to be sharp and peppy, NOT sick, as he claimed, yet my P.D.s didn't point this out to my Judge or Jury!...Moreover, that video also clearly showed what I've told my P.D.s from day one: They would cut me off telling the truth, wanting me to falsely confess, or cut me off asking to see a Judge and Attorney! Also, clear in the ending 2 minutes of that video, I was held hostage and they wanted me to lie about Juan in order to use their phone. It was so obvious in the video that I didn't meet their condition of the bribe to use their phone! Threatening to stop the video, goaded me as if it's now or never - they were really going to abandon me in Streamwood Police Station, where no one knew where I was: "Do you realized by stopping us we're walking out? Is that what you want us to do? Do you understand that I'm stopping the tape and I'm walking out. Is that what you want us to do? Tell me what you want us to do, so you want us to stop and you want us to leave? Your choice." They stopped the video, but didn't walk out anywhere, but continued to threaten and promise me!
I thought it was all over and they were finally taking me to Rolling Meadows Courthouse (7 pm 5-17-02) to see a Judge, but instead they drove me from Streamwood Police Station to Palatine Police Station and put me in a cell! Moments later, they took me out of the cell and demanded I do a camcorder video confession lying, saying "On January 8, 1993, I was with Juan all day and night", and then they'd let me use the phone. Knowing what I did the only night I ever dropped anyone's car at any Jewel Osco, I refused. Furious, they escorted me back out to the sally port and into someone's personal family custom van, and took me out on a hellride, drinking beers all over the suburbs, visiting locations as 5 unprofessional detectives continued to threaten to release the addresses of my family and friends to The Press for the deranged vigilantes, sword wielding Filipino psycho, and to the members of the Mafia Brown's franchise owner, Frank Portillo and his career criminal enforcer nephew, while still assuring me no one knows I'm in Illinois! Then we went way out of the way to the Penny Road 7-11 Liquor Store to buy more beer, then to the Carpentersville B.P. Gas Station to fill up on gas and they moved my cuffs to the front for some reason - my P.D.s assured me they got these surveillance videos showing me (us) drinking and proving their time log was in fact way off, but he NEVER showed it to my Judge or my Jury! They drove to the back lot of Otto Electric Company in Carpentersville where we parked on the dark bike path and they told me to get the fuck out and run, laughing. We got out of the van and chased cars, then they walked me down the dark path repeating their narrative over and over demanding I repeat it. They led me off the bike path onto a dirt side trail spewing threats of blowing my head off, included in this group was my high school police officer, Rob Haas, whom I've had issues with since the '80s - telling me to run off. When we got to the Carpentersville Dam, they asked me if I threw the gun into the river here or in Algonquin? I didn't even respond. They walked me back to the van, and instead of taking me to Rolling Meadows or Chicago Cook County Jail/Courthouse, they took me BACK to Palatine Police Station again, demanding I do another video tape repeating the false narrative, or just a camcorder video trashing Juan and his family, and put me back in their cell when I refused!
I waited until it got quiet and asked the officer doing cell checks if I could use their phone to order an asthma inhaler from the closest Walgreens Pharmacy, knowing they'd call my Mom's number when it was ready. He instead called an ambulance who gave me an Albuterol Nebulizer in the station, then took me to the emergency room where Dr. Laesch (9-20-07 pg 189-192) gave me another nebulizer and demanded they fill her prescription for a Ventolin inhaler (The same inhaler they forced me to leave behind in my truck in Indiana), which they did! Dr. Laesch documented that I had "tight chest breathing problems (suffocating) since afternoon", which would mean the prior day over 14 hours ago - caught on that 4 minute video! I hadn't showered, brushed my teeth in two days, and smelled of beer - the nurse asked me, figuring a DUI crash, if I had any injuries and before I could take the nebulizer out of my mouth, the officer barked back, "John Doe is only here for an asthma attack!" We left after the nebulizer finished, and I was put back in the same cell at 3 am on Monday 18, 2002.
A few hours later, I was taken out of the cell for more threats, promises, and an ominous angle mug shot, where Juan assured me that he didn't do it, and will clear this all up, not to worry, he'll fix everything. A detective grabbed me, bringing me out to the sally port garage door, walking easily THROUGH The Press, down the driveway to their police care, and thank God! - to Cook County Jail - ending this part of the nightmare at around 8:30 am, May 18, 2002.
I was borderline, not knowing if I was awake or having a nightmare, I saw no end in sight! I had ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHTS!!!; none of those I learned about in Mr. Kelly and Mr. Fujino's U.S. History Class!!! NOTHING these Law Enforcement officers (ASAs) claim should be allowed in any Courtroom!
My Public Defenders made absolutely no attempt to genuinely investigate and confront any of my accusers, nor call witnesses to defend me as they promised me they would! Not confronting these lies and not calling witnesses leaves an incomplete court record to present to the appeal Judges as required by their appeal rules. My family and I were completely respectful to all my P.D.s for seven long years, waiting for my speedy trial that was promised to be before Juan's trial. Terrified of the appeal process rumors, I did everything I could not to burn the bridge with the Public Defenders Office, but come to find out, there NEVER was a bridge! When my appeal Lawyers contacted the P.D.'s office, none would help her. When she went to the P.D.'s storage for the court record, the legal papers were in complete disarray, as if the banker boxes were packed during a hostile eviction, despite a highly organized Paralegal dedicated to keeping my court record in order. If that wasn't bad enough, my Lawyers' Computer Techs couldn't hack into the P.D.'s hard drives, even though they were paid well to do so, and oddly, there wasn't a single one of the thumb/flash USB Drives each P.D. used in their 8 lap top computers holding my case record! There is no way I could've afforded a real Attorney for this trial and for sure there was no way I could've presented myself in that Courtroom - especially TEN plus years after the fact! I couldn't even put together an accurate timeline of 1993 until after my trial when friends, even strangers reached out to me with facts, dates, paperwork, old memories, and so on to narrow down exact dates and events to discredit my accusers, as my P.D.s should have done for me in 2002, but didn't! Despite promising to be my personal spokes person to the Public, Judge, and Jury, my P.D.s allowed my accusers to outright lie on the court record! I had absolutely NO VOICE and NO RIGHTS in that Courtroom! I had no part in planning, committing, NOR covering up the January 8, 1993 robbery and murders of Guadalupe Maldonado, Michael Castro, Marcus Nellson, Thomas Mennes, Rico Solis, and Mr. and Mrs. Ehlenfeld.
Pursuant to 28 U.S.C 1746, 18 U.S.C. 1621, And 735 I.L..C.S. 5/109, I, James Degorsky declare, under penalty of perjury, that I am the named party in the above action, that I have read the above documents, and that the information contained therein is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. JAMES DEGORSKI 4-10-21.
I thank you for giving me our First Amendment and your time!James Degorski IDOC # M09414Stateville Correctional CenterP O BOX 112Joliet, IL 60434-0112
TO BE CONTINUED
