A man convicted of one of the Chicago area's most infamous crimes is seeking a court hearing to review newly discovered evidence, saying a key prosecution witness allegedly lied to get a reward worth tens of thousands of dollars. James Degorski was convicted in 2009 for killing seven workers at a Brown's Chicken restaurant in Palatine 16 years prior.
The 44-year-old is serving a life sentence at Menard Correctional Center in southern Illinois. A petition filed on behalf of Degorski says the witness, Anne Lockett, is "a troubled woman, prone to dishonesty." It also alleges she had implicated another former boyfriend as well as Degorski during the incident.
Degorski's lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, says the jury wasn't told Lockett would split a nearly $100,000 reward with a friend if Degorski was convicted.
