Soderberg Trial Continues
- The bench trial is underway for the man accused of murdering a Chicago police officer with his own weapon.
Attorneys presented their opening statements just before noon at the Criminal Courts Building. Also in the courtroom is a group of uniformed police officers showing their support for their fallen comrade, Officer Thor Soderberg.
Bryant Brewer faces 20 counts, including first degree murder and resisting arrest.
Prosecutors say Brewer got into a fight with Officer Soderberg outside an Englewood police station, grabbed the officer’s gun and shot him several times.
The defense during its opening statements said their client acted in self defense and that surveillance video from that day is missing 12 minutes of crucial footage that might better show what lead to the fatal shooting.
So pretty much the defense is making up shit because the city, in its never-ending quest for cheapness, can't maintain any type of video system - in-car cameras, body cameras, traffic cameras, blue light cameras, security cameras, etc etc., thereby leaving the defense an out to make up any story it likes.
Dramatic testimony Tuesday:
Dramatic testimony Tuesday:
- Chicago police Officer Lynn Casey thought she heard fireworks exploding outside the front door of an Englewood police deployment center where she was working desk duty.
She stepped outside on the hot July day in 2010 to discover a shirtless man covered in blood. She called out to him, asking if he needed help.
What she didn't realize was that the man, Bryant Brewer, had just shot and killed Officer Thor Soderberg in the adjoining parking lot.
Testifying Tuesday at Brewer's murder trial, Casey, now 55, said Brewer turned toward her, raised his right hand and began firing at her with what turned out to be Soderberg's service weapon.
Dramatic video from a surveillance camera that was played in court Tuesday showed Casey taking cover on the driver's side of a squad car as Brewer chased her.
The trial continues today. There should be notices up if you're at 26th Street today.
Labels: officer down
posted by SCC at 12:31 AM
47 Comments:
Thank you PO Lynn Casey, glad you were not another victim of this vermin who will hopefully be convicted & and sentenced to real life imprisonment w/o the Pardon & Parole Board even holding a hearing. i only wish that IL still had a death penalty.
RIP PO Soderberg
A Retiree & co-worker from the old 012.
It only seems like yesterday Thor lost his life. What a tragedy. God bless you Thor and thanks for smiling down upon us.
Police lives don't matter in Illinois.
Not only no death penalty, but early release guaranteed.
Conduct yourselves accordingly.
Was it self defense when he started shooting at officer Casey? The system needs to change in regards to how lawyers are able to just lie.
Integrity and honesty means nothing to a defense attorney.
so since there is no video then he didn't do it. What bs
“These are my final words on advocacy. If you have the facts on your side, hammer the facts. If you have the law on your side, hammer the law. If you have neither the facts nor the law, hammer the table.”
Someone can only hammer the table.
Criminal defense attorneys are the scum of the earth.
Ethically, they are not allowed to knowingly lie to the court, that is, of course, it they WERE ethical
Rip Thor and I really hope justice is served and the savaged that ended your wonderful life never sees the light of day again. You were a great man and you taught me a lot in the short time I knew you in the academy. You are missed.
who's the low life, cop hating defense lawyer who is grasping at straws?
I heard the Judge was visibly perturbed at the defense for that BS stunt
cameras in the districts only record 10 seconds before movement and then time movement is detected, everything else is not retained. so the 10 seconds before you walk by a camera and the period of time you move in front of camera is only recorded. If you walk in front of a camera it will record but if you stand still after a while it will stop recording and only start recording again after you move again. The time you stood still will not be recorded. Also the cameras don't always pick up movement that is at the furthest point of their view. You can stand at the very end of a hall way and move as much as you want but camera will not recognize movement and will not record.
Over five years to go to trial? The court process is a joke! The truth in sentencing is a bigger joke!
Hey Bruce you really want to do something for the citizen of the state of Illinois ? Reinstate the death penalty now! Anyone shooting a law enforcement officer should automatically get the death penalty ! Make an example out of this low life piece of human waste ! Bryant Brewer deserves nothing less then to be executed for this heinous crime !
So, is SCC in support of bodycams now?
OT
RE Incident that occurred 28 July, Bt 1621 reported as a CDTP.
Victim hears loud noises at the rear door of his residence, investigates and finds unk males damaging the door to gain entry to the premises. Offenders flee and incident is reported as a Criminal Damage to Property!!!! This is an attempt burglary all day long and should have been reported as such. We all know they were not there jimmying the lock or trying to circumvent the door jamb just to wreck this guys door and then leave. They were trying to gain illegal entry to an occupied residence and the incident should have been reported as such.
That Pam Zekman b.s. from years ago about killing crime aside, by downgrading this, we play into "their" hands about how crime free the Northwest Side is and how a reduction in the number of officers manning beat cars is justified given the relative lack of major crime. Redeploy unneeded POs to the West and South Sides where they are really needed. Yeah sure, but at what cost?
Whoever reported this incident this way didn't do any of us living up there any favors. If theres more to it, such as a direct order to downgrade or something else, then so be it. With a victim actually confronting the offenders, this could have by passed call back; maybe the victim called 3 hours later? But please keep in mind the bigger picture here. Crime is increasing in the area and we need to make sure everything is reported accurately to prevent even more loss of cars in 16.
WTF
As expected the defense attorney was a pos. After viewing po casey on video he basically says to her why weren't you running faster towards the gunshots and was attempting to paint her as a video expert which got shot down quick.
The CPD showing could be a little better. Mostly academy folks and a few po's. Will try to get out there again this week.
29JUL@10PM - PO Soderberg was already off duty & PO Casey was working the desk - so they would not have had bodycams. SCC's contention that the city owned/not properly maintained "Blue Light cameras" is the salient point. i recall several criminal incidents three years ago which transpired @ Montrose & Wilson which could have been videoed by the Blue Light camera at that intersection but were not captured since that camera was also down. The only thing working was the flashing blue light. i wonder if that camera is still broken after the Aldercreature from that ward had been made aware of the malfunction.
Let's see if the BGA could cover that issue. Hello Andy Shaw.........
He wouldn't have had a body camera on since he was changing out of his uniform by his car
Commit a crime and plead not guilty? That's your right. BUT, if found guilty, the penalty should automatically be enhanced for wasting the time and money spent on the trial.
And all Lawyers fees waived.
OT: Cop charged with Murder!
Cincinnati cop charged after shooting motorist.
Another case of a black man refusing to comply with lawful orders.
Video shows guy starting the car & putting it in gear as officer tries to remove him from vehicle.
Video also shows offender grabbing cops arm.
Look in mirror, you could be next!!!!!
hwy ssc please print military lives matter, the obama administation and va are now targeting white male /white female vet of post 9/11 , you are entiltled to free medical coverage at a va hospital for even non military related accidents and injuries. the va is now targeting white veterans asking for financial info and demanding co payments to prescrition drugs and doctor visits. do pay no dont disclose any finance info, this is an excutive order from the white house targeting white male/female vets , call your congressman or senator DEMAND ACTION STOP RACISM.
Anonymous said...
who's the low life, cop hating defense lawyer who is grasping at straws?
I heard the Judge was visibly perturbed at the defense for that BS stunt
7/29/2015 10:20:00 AM
I have heard this defense a few times since I came on the job in 1968. Some of these defense attorneys are scum, they do not like cops and will actively make up stories for defense at trial. I am sure this idea that this killing was self defense was not the idea of the accused, but the fantasy defense of the scum attorney. I do not like most defense attorneys and this is one of the reasons. I would not walk across the street to piss on them even if they were on fire.
OT: On Cincinnati video, make not where parked car is in front of stopped vehicle, then where it is when officer was on ground....
Cop Was Dragged by offender!!!!!
Soderberg would not have been wearing a body camera, he was changing clothes. The other office er was working the desk, so she would not have been wearing a body camera. Also, video needs to be retained, and if that is not happening with in car cameras, it will Not happen with the body camera footage. The salt is not going to store it because of the expenses. And the body camera would have been turned in at the end of the tour. This officer was shot after that.
The pension fund for Illinois lawmakers is the state’s most insolvent system. Taxpayers bail it out every year. If they didn’t, the General Assembly Retirement System, or GARS, would only have enough assets to pay retired politicians for another 2.5 years.
Illinois politicians face no obstacles to reforming their own retirement system, so why haven’t they?
It’s not as if GARS has government unions that would oppose reforms in court. Illinois politicians are in full control. GARS funds lawmakers’ pensions and their pensions only. Politicians have no excuse not to show real leadership and reform their own retirement plans.
State lawmakers should create a new defined-contribution plan for themselves that’s fair and ends their insolvent pension fund.
Their reforms could serve as the basis for the reform of Illinois’ other state and local retirement systems.
Taxpayers stuck subsidizing politicians’ pensions
Illinois’ state lawmakers receive the fifth-highest base salary in the nation at $67,500 per year, and earn an average salary of nearly $81,000 – not too bad for what is legally a part-time job.
On top of footing the bill for state politicians’ compensation, Illinoisans must also contribute toward their lawmakers’ practically bankrupt pension fund. In 2015, taxpayers will contribute the equivalent of nearly $100,000 for each active lawmaker enrolled in the system just to keep GARS afloat.
That’s a lot to pay for a problem that state politicians could fix tomorrow by introducing actual reforms.
lawmaker_salary
To help prop up the system, taxpayers are required to contribute 11 times more than lawmakers to the pension fund. In 2015, the state (meaning taxpayers) will put nearly $16 million toward lawmaker pensions. Lawmakers, on the other hand, will put in just $1.5 million.
By 2045, taxpayers will be paying more than $43 million a year into GARS while lawmakers will be contributing only $4 million.
taxpayer_payments
The massive taxpayer payments into GARS are the only reason it hasn’t gone broke.
But there’s a likely reason why many Illinois lawmakers are hanging on to their current pension plans. Many have become career politicians earning full-time benefits – even though they were never meant to be career workers like teachers, police officers or firefighters.
According to GARS rules, retired lawmakers earn a pension equal to 85 percent of their final salary after just 20 years of service.
As a result, the average retired lawmaker receives $54,000 in annual pension benefits. And that pension grows every year – retirees are also entitled to an annual, automatic and compounded 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment.
These overly generous benefits for part-time work put lawmakers in direct conflict with the need to reform GARS.
By reforming their own retirement plans, lawmakers can demonstrate to their constituents – as well as other government workers – that they are willing to lead by example.
TAGS: Illinois General Assembly, lawmaker pensions
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I am so nauseated with the mainstream media (MSM) and their anti-police animosity. With "the Ferguson Effect" and thug Michael Wilson, how often do you find that the despicable MSM incessantly vilifies police officers for shooting and killing an UNARMED cop killer wannabe? The national firestorm that was ignited in Ferguson in Officer Darren Wilson's justifiable shooting of "the Gentle Giant" was based on what's since been proven to be a myth.
Officer Soderberg is the most recent CPD tragedy in which an INITIALLY UNARMED piece of shit murdered one of Chicago's Finest since I came OTJ. Check out the circumstances of the murders of TWELVE of our fallen heroes: Thor SODERBERG, Richard FRANCES, James CAMP, Dell FOUNTAIN, Gregory HAUSER, Raymond KILROY, Lee SEWARD, William FAHEY, Richard O'BRIEN, James CAMPBELL, Melvin GALLOWAY and Leroy BERRY.
During this same period, fully EIGHTEEN NYPD officers were murdered by the gunfire of INITIALLY UNARMED cop killers.
Of course, the MSM never cites this fact because it's contrary to their perverse agenda.
NEVER FORGET! May all of our fallen heroes rest in peace.
Thor had a kind heart. He volunteered his own time helping young kids who had disabilities. I was in the academy as a recruit and here is a story shared by a woman and her son who was personally touched by Thor. Her son was born with cerebral palsy and her child could not walk without pain let alone run. The closest he got to run was with Thor. Thor pushed one of those jogging carts and the young child yelled faster. So Thor would run faster. Thor was in excellent shape. The mom said this was the closest her child would ever get to running. This was the first time he felt the wind blowing on his face and rushing through his ear buds. The first time he would feel the rush of seeing the trees, leaves, other people going by. This man was a good man. We lost an officer, the world lost a good man.
How come they keep saying he "jumped the fence?" Anyone that worked in TRU knows that the parking lot was wide open on the north side and two openings on the east end of the lot. Everybody used the parking lot as a "cut thru" going from Racine to 61st and vise-versa. There were a number of reports written to then Commander KPR begging to have the lot secured on both ends. Once, officers locked up dude for trespassing because he was "cutting thru" while spitting end eye-mugging every officer. He was RWOC by bubblehead because there were NO GATES and no signs.
Officers inTRU went as far as obtaining orange snow fence and used flex cuffs to block off the north driveway entrance but Commander KPR demanded that it be taken down.
Once again, the ease of access to our facilities lead to an officer getting killed. Go by 61/Racine today, the only difference now then that fateful day is that now there is a granite memorial to Thor outside the east door. Still no secure parking lots.
So, is SCC in support of bodycams now?
7/29/2015 01:10:00 PM
The officer that was killed was going home for the day. A body camera would not have made a difference.
Anonymous said...
cameras in the districts only record 10 seconds before movement and then time movement is detected, everything else is not retained. so the 10 seconds before you walk by a camera and the period of time you move in front of camera is only recorded. If you walk in front of a camera it will record but if you stand still after a while it will stop recording and only start recording again after you move again. The time you stood still will not be recorded. Also the cameras don't always pick up movement that is at the furthest point of their view. You can stand at the very end of a hall way and move as much as you want but camera will not recognize movement and will not record.
7/29/2015 11:30:00 AM
Must be because some digital video on a multi terabyte hard drive array costing a couple of hundred bucks is too precious to record everything. This isn't 1981 when hard drives were large, heavy and expensive. Mac sells computers now with solid state hard drives, no moving parts. One terabyte of super fast solid state memory used as a drive for your home or office. So instead they use a convoluted system that saves space that costs fractions of a penny. And the shylock PD can use the Rosemary Woods 18 minute gap defense.
Anonymous said...
Integrity and honesty means nothing to a defense attorney.
7/29/2015 08:21:00 AM
Public Defender, Murder Task Force. Real do-gooders. They get attacked, spit on and beat going into County Jail and they keep on going.
Anonymous said...
Over five years to go to trial? The court process is a joke! The truth in sentencing is a bigger joke!
7/29/2015 11:34:00 AM
The five year delay is due to the defense. They stall it. They know witnesses die, memories fade etc. It is to their benefit. So they stall.
Let me get this straight? Some cop done with his shift changing looking to get out of this savage neighborhood to go play volleyball desired to stop and fight with some rapping thug? Or did some rapping thug on pcp singing fuck the police decide to attack the cop? Let the jury stop and think about that for a minute.
Ot. Moving to a new neighborhood in chicago. Anyone know anything about pat oconnor?
I have cameras on my house that record 24/7, without any gaps in time. The systyem loops over previous recordings every 60 days. If I can afford it as a PO to protect my family, then why cant the city prorect us? Thats because Police Lives don't matter to 5th floor of city hall.
OT:
This city!! GGrrr. They made the penalty $750.00 if someone is caught with a gun shaped cell phone case. GGrrr. Now, that's a serious problem, Why didn't they make it $1,000.00 or higher? Makes no sense. And,
Moreno...an Alderman carrying on in City Hall with supporters who stopped the elevators on the 2nd floor so persons couldn't use them. Reason...he stated Police stop persons of color..harassing them. What's up with him?
And Cardenas, another Alderman, wants a tax on sugary drinks...what the fridge?..businesses will need to reset the cash registers to accommodate (so they'll be plenty upset) and folks will be on the spot to pay more. Drop it Alderman...taste buds should not be taxed...try something else.
Stupid city.
Has Weis been there ?
Police lives don't matter in Illinois.
Not only no death penalty, but early release guaranteed.
Conduct yourselves accordingly.
Exactly. Officer Barron's murderer is out. Officer Camp's murderer is out.
When someone says cops are held to a higher standard then ask why cop killers walk.
I heard the Judge was visibly perturbed at the defense for that BS stunt
Ha! You mean the judge 'acted' perturbed over it. Don't forget, judges are bad actors too.
Let's thank the dumb ass for not having a working parking lot camera. My car got keyed in a police lot, again no working camera guys
I have cameras on my house that record 24/7, without any gaps in time. The system loops over previous recordings every 60 days...
Wondering what system you have. I'm looking for a good similar system, quality cameras and good in low light. Maybe a 6 or 8 channel?
60 days 24/7 record? Bullshit unless it's shit res like Cif which is useless. Just kuz your Chinese manual says it, doesn't mean it's true. That being said.. most of the city's cameras are shit..and from different manufacturers. This gap shit is common everywhere.
Someone who knows
Ot. Moving to a new neighborhood in chicago. Anyone know anything about pat oconnor?
7/29/2015 09:16:00 PM
All you need to know:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRmkJ5emBB8
Anonymous said...
So, is SCC in support of bodycams now?
7/29/2015 01:10:00 PM
The officer that was killed was going home for the day. A body camera would not have made a difference.
7/29/2015 06:59:00 PM
For the officer to have survived he would have had to shoot an unarmed black man who would have instantly become the little darling of the neighborhood, a sweet man everyone loved, about to turn his PCP sniffing ass right around and become a famous rapper. And with missing video, oh baby, another unarmed defenseless black man killed by a white cop who has white privilege all his life. Poor black man never could afford to play volleyball. (/sarcasm off)
So, is SCC in support of bodycams now?
7/29/2015 01:10:00 PM
Anonymous Anonymous said...
OT
RE Incident that occurred 28 July, Bt 1621 reported as a CDTP.
Victim hears loud noises at the rear door of his residence, investigates and finds unk males damaging the door to gain entry to the premises. Offenders flee and incident is reported as a Criminal Damage to Property!!!! This is an attempt burglary all day long and should have been reported as such. We all know they were not there jimmying the lock or trying to circumvent the door jamb just to wreck this guys door and then leave. They were trying to gain illegal entry to an occupied residence and the incident should have been reported as such.
That Pam Zekman b.s. from years ago about killing crime aside, by downgrading this, we play into "their" hands about how crime free the Northwest Side is and how a reduction in the number of officers manning beat cars is justified given the relative lack of major crime. Redeploy unneeded POs to the West and South Sides where they are really needed. Yeah sure, but at what cost?
Whoever reported this incident this way didn't do any of us living up there any favors. If theres more to it, such as a direct order to downgrade or something else, then so be it. With a victim actually confronting the offenders, this could have by passed call back; maybe the victim called 3 hours later? But please keep in mind the bigger picture here. Crime is increasing in the area and we need to make sure everything is reported accurately to prevent even more loss of cars in 16.
WTF
As much as I understand your feeling about this, you are wrong,
An attempt to enter is CDTP. Entering is CTTP. Stacking items to be removed from the residence is ATT. BURG. Removing items from the the house is Buglary.
RIP Thor! This killer is "happy to be cop killer"
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-chicago-cop-killing-trial-met-0731-20150730-story.html
Should of never made it to court, he deserves a dirt nap this thug pos!
Anonymous said...
60 days 24/7 record? Bullshit unless it's shit res like Cif which is useless. Just kuz your Chinese manual says it, doesn't mean it's true. That being said.. most of the city's cameras are shit..and from different manufacturers. This gap shit is common everywhere.
Someone who knows
7/30/2015 07:06:00 AM
I am a software engineer for a company that sells large scale distributed filesystems. Currently they are primarily used by most of the TV networks and broadcasters for storage and editing of HD video, and by film studios for either digital intermediate or digital camera footage editing and storage, and by organizations like NASA (and a few classified ones) for satellite image storage. We're talking hundreds or thousands of terabytes here.
We eagerly await the high demand that will be created for more of our products once every PD starts using body cameras and has to retain the video forever. We already sell to security camera companies that have very large installations and must retain the video for a long time (government, etc).
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