Attorneys for a former suburban day care worker found guilty of murder in a child’s death appeared in Lake County court Tuesday morning as a judge considers whether to advance their efforts to overturn her conviction.
Judge Daniel Shanes, who oversaw the 2011 trial that ended with Melissa Calusinski being convicted of first-degree murder, did not rule on whether he will allow a hearing on what her lawyers say is new evidence in the case.
Shanes said he has a stack of legal filings “a foot and a half” high to go through before he rules, but he set another hearing for June 13.
Calusinski’s attorneys say X-rays discovered in the Lake County coroner’s office last year show that the boy who died in 2009 after being in her care — 16-month-old Benjamin Kingan, of Deerfield — passed away as a result of pre-existing head injuries. Read More »