Ed Burke Trial: Jury deliberations to begin next week on fate of former Chicago alderman
CHICAGO (CBS) – Closing arguments concluded Friday in the corruption trial of former Chicago Ald. Ed Burke.
The jury will likely get the case on Monday or Tuesday. CBS 2 Political Reporter Chris Tye has been in court since the case began and had the latest on the final pitches made to jurors who will decide the guilt or innocence of the city's longest-serving alderman.
In their final message to jurors on Friday before deliberations, attorneys for Burke played to the emotion of the jury and asked them to use common sense when they begin to make their decisions.
Burke's attorney, Joe Duffy, told the jury of nine women and three men: "So [the federal prosecutors] go out to people attached to these four schemes and say 'you are a victim.' Of all of them, nobody called the FBI. Nobody complained. Nobody thought they were a victim until the FBI came knocking on their doors saying, 'I think you're a victim.'"
Begging jurors to use common sense, Duffy also played to their emotions as Burke was about to celebrate a milestone birthday.
"He is nothing like the person being portrayed," Duffy said. "You should send Ed Burke home to celebrate his birthday. He has three great loves. His family, who is here every day. The City of Chicago. Could he love it anymore? And finally, his God, because he goes to church every day."
Attorneys for the other two defendants, Burke aid Pete Andrews and businessman Charles Cui, also presented their closing statements on Friday.
Cui's attorney called the case against his client thin and asked, "Where's the beef?" which got a chuckle from the courtroom.
All three have pled not guilty.
Next up will be just over 300 pages of jury instructions to get through. If they read them all by Monday morning, the jury will get the case that afternoon. If it takes all of Monday, the jurors will start deliberations on Tuesday.
