Rockton youth drowns

“…We've got to decide who we're mad with, and who we're afraid of ...

We are preparing a special "3rd Anniversary" page summarizing events of the three-year old allegations made against Richard Wanke, and the on-going prosecution of Diane Chavez, by the Winnebago County State's Attorney's Office in regard to their alleged connection to the February 2008 murder of attorney Greg Clark. The page will appear later this month. Meantime, Richard is presently appealing to the IL Supreme Court. Follow Richard's Illinois Supreme Court Appeal #112061 on twitter. (click here) . Richard's case is unlikely to be accepted by the court for review, but read his two main arguments set out in his "Petition for Leave to Appeal" by clicking on the tab "Richard's Appeal Briefs. Incidentally, the State's evidence comprising it's case against Richard and Diane (consisting of over 700 pages containing over 200 individual Rockford police reports and evidence summations) has been reviewed by an authoritative source who found nothing contained in that information which links either Richard or Diane to any involvement in Clark's murder other than the original claimed "witness reports" in February 2008. No DNA, no fingerprints, no weapon, no gunpowder residue, no questionable contacts, phone records, or transactions: nothing, zilch.... On February 6, 2008, our friends, Richard Wanke and Diane Chavez, were arrested in alleged connection to the murder of a well-respected, local attorney, Gregory Clark. The vague scenario the Rockford police have submitted is problematic and nearly two years later; the Rockford police still haven't been able to build enough of a case to charge Richard or Diane (or anyone else) with anything connected to the murder. We know Richard and Diane as gentle people; local community activists, who routinely participate in volunteer projects in the community. We hope, for the sake of our friends, and the family and friends of attorney Gregory Clark, that the Rockford police will rethink their current course and renew effort toward finding the real truth in this case. The scenario on Wednesday, February 8, 2008, about 1:50 pm in the afternoon: The snow fall in Rockford, Illinois began the evening before and continued throughout the day. The snow accumulation was the heaviest experienced by the city in 10 years. The snowfall was so heavy that most businesses and all offices closed early or never opened, and for the first time in memory mail delivery did not even occur. At 1:50 pm, snow on the streets reached above car bumper level and visibility was poor. ____________________________ What happened: News media report that at 1:50 pm, attorney Greg Clark was home at his house in a quiet neighborhood on the east side of Rockford. According to the RRSTAR's latest summation of events from 2008: "A gunman springs from a van and opens fire, killing Gregory Clark, a Rockford attorney, who is clearing snow from his sidewalk." Clark was brutally shot in the back three times by an unknown shooter. He was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later. _______________________ News accounts and subsequent police action show that more than one perpetrator actively participated at Clark's shooting. Media reports show the police immediately focused upon Richard Wanke because of what they thought of him and not because of any of the evidence found at the murder site. _______________________ The news reporter was told the next day that the police did not believe he shot Clark, but just that he was somehow involved. Subsequent questioning of Richard's acquaintances showed the police asking questions indicating they sought information about at least one other person other than Richard. ________________________ The police had all the information related to Richard's whereabouts on the northwest side of Rockford at the time of the murder by Feb 7, 2008. The distance between Richard's media account of his whereabouts and the difficulty of travel on Feb 6, 2008, and the shortness of time intervals should have caused police to question their assumptions placing him near or at the murder scene. A privately obtained (which police must also have) land phone record lends credence to Richard's account and not to that of the police. _________________________ The accuracy of any "witness" sightings placing Richard in a vehicle near or at the murder scene is questionable given the weather conditions and the visual distances at the murder scene. This appears to perhaps be the only so-called claimed "fact" basis so far for the police insistence that Richard Wanke must have shot Greg Clark. _________________________ This initial assumption that Richard Wanke is the culprit remains the biggest obstruction to the police's investigation into Greg Clark's murder. __________________________ This bias has caused the police from the first to fail to solicit the assistance of the public (through use of "CrimeStoppers") in solving Greg Clark's murder. Much helpful information could have been gleaned while the murder was still fresh. _________________________ This bias and resulting over-confidence caused the police to fail to properly question, Diane Chavez, while in custody regarding her whereabouts on the day and at the time she was allegedly seen in a vehicle at or near to Greg Clark's house. Had this question been asked, the police could easily have determined that her alleged sighting was wrong since they would have found her recorded on their own police video on the other side of town at that exact time and day and driving her sedan at the time; not a van! Given that Diane Chavez's presence at work on the other side of town, the whole day of the murder was easily verified, the police would have had no so-called "fact" basis to assert that she had any connection to the murder. This would have screwed up their "probable cause" argument. ________________________ Acting impartially, the police could have known this by midnight on Feb 6, 2008. It could have caused them to then reexamine the accuracy of Richard's alleged "sighting" as reported by the media and perhaps follow-up other leads. Instead, the police and media action whipped up public sentiment against two individuals with drastic effect. _______________________ Richard Wanke was seized and held with "questionable" legality on the sole basis of being " a person of interest" for over 6 months in the county jail merely on the suspicion of some involvement in the murder. However, he and his attorneys were never permitted to examine or dispute any of the claimed connections used to justify holding him when he should otherwise have been free on bond pending a sentencing hearing. Lots of legal confusion ensued and after a rushed sentencing hearing where Richard's defense was inadequately prepared for and presented, Richard was then served with the maximum term of imprisonment for 14 years for a relatively light infraction (which he disputed involvement in from the first). _________________________ You can view Richard Wanke's criminal record at the state of Illinois Department of Corrections inmate website information, by inputting his inmate number, K77902, into their inmate record search function at: http://www.idoc.state.il.us/subsections/search/default.asp Compare his record and 14 year sentence to the records of most offenders and remember that this 14 year sentence is for the non-violent, alleged theft of a laptop computer. __________________________ Richard's personal legal papers were seized and have not been acknowledged or returned to him by police nearly two years later despite his need of them to file a timely appeal of his case. What legal authority does the state have to deprive any inmate or individual of access to their personal legal correspondence and documents needed to consult in forming appeal briefs? ________________________ IDOC has correctly recognized that Richard Wanke does not require placement in a maximum security facility housing murderers and criminals with violent backgrounds who have committed far more serious and frequent crimes than Richard. IDOC has transferred Richard from the high-security Western Correctional to the minimum security facility at Vienna Correctional because he has no violent background. _________________________ Meanwhile, Diane Chavez, has been deprived of all reputation, property, and financial well-being. Per media reports, the police know that she was Richard Wanke's landlord, and that any romantic connection between them occurred in the past (as prior court records show). They also know it was superseded years ago by her attachment to another individual. Police actions indicate that charging her was a ploy to put pressure on Richard Wanke. But, the ploy only works if either of them knows anything regarding Greg Clark's murder. _______________________ Diane Chavez has clearly maintained from the start that she knows nothing concerning Greg Clark's murder (Nor does she know what happened to Jimmy Hoffa). Any examination of her past history as a hard-working environmental and community activist who has worked closely with many attorneys and who has always approached resolution of issues by working through the accepted legal channels and not through civil disobedience would bear this out. If the Rockford Register-Star took the time to examine their own archives; they could easily have come up with a more accurate portrayal of her community activities. She has no criminal or violent past. At age 52, she remains single and self-supporting, and was a state government social worker. Who knows if the police would have even thought to charge her on Feb 6, 2008, if when they knocked on her door, they had found her in the more acceptable social role as a married wife, with or without children? ________________________ Whatever the outcome, it will be years (if ever) before Diane Chavez is able to regain the financial stability (and credit rating) she had before this debacle. To this day, she wonders why she paid her taxes.... _______________________ The authorities continue to use questionable means in their prosecutory actions. The state is required to disclose all exculpatory (information they have uncovered which supports your assertion that you did not commit a crime) evidence to the defense. Media reports show that all lab tests are complete. It is apparent that no weapons or gunpowder residue were found in testing any evidence or persons, (or the state would have been crowing about these findings) yet after close to three years, the state has yet to provide or release these results to the defense or any other exculpatory evidence they have uncovered (such as grand jury testimony). ________________________ The police have yet to formally charge anyone with the murder of Greg Clark, yet close to two years after the fact, they continue to prosecute Diane Chavez for "obstruction of justice" when it is apparent that any original claim for the basis of that charge (whether she and Richard lived together) has little if anything to do the murder). _________________________ The police are spinning their wheels and we all are getting nowhere. Greg Clark's murder was a brutal murder; one obviously perpetrated by someone with violence in their past who was assisted by at least one other similarly-minded person. After an exhaustive search of someone (Richard Wanke) who lacked financial means and whose movements had already been pretty closely followed by police for the past 17 years; the police have been unable to find any link to the violent individual (s) required to fit this profile. That's why they are so focused on trying to dig up jailhouse "snitches". That will be tough, since Richard did not associate with criminals. _______________________ It is easy to label a person a "Ted Bundy" wannabee; but in the end Ted Bundy was a serial murderer and actual bodies turned up left and right over the course of years because in the end, violence precedes premeditated violence. The police also probably found some interesting reading materials Bundy stocked for research or enjoyment. Richard Wanke has no such background, only as garden variety offender. That is perhaps why all his previous attorneys, who antagonized him more than Clark ever did, are still walking around in good health. _________________________ We invite you to read this blog and read further about the fallacies of "eyewitness testimony", and the causes of wrongful convictions. Perhaps it will cause you to question, as we do, the state's "rush to judgment" regarding Richard Wanke. RichardWanke.com is written and updated by community volunteers. It's mission: publicity and assistance for the legal defense of IDOC inmate, Richard Wanke. This blog also features articles on topics affecting IL, IDOC, and IDOC inmates. Article information is gleaned from a variety of public media accounts and from other internet sources and reflects what we believe to be accurate. Readers are invited to respond and submit their own experiences. The following organizations have organized an on-line petition to Governor Pat Quinn and IL State legislators urging them to reinstate the Meritorious Good Time and Supplemental Meritorious Good Time Credits for IDOC inmates. We urge everyone affected by the credit suspension and possible revocation (by HB 5019) to sign the petition to make these politicians aware that their political posturing is costing unreasonable hardship to families throughout the state. The petition will be presented to the Governor at the beginning of the fall 2010 legistlative session. The petition can be viewed and signed at: CLICK HERE TO SIGN PETITION! Wordpress has excellent spam protection, and over 7,000 spams have been eliminated from this blog. Not to discourage legitimate postings and links, but if you post or comment to this blog with commercial content which is not informational and is not related to any of the topics featured on this blog, your posting will be removed. This blog is offered as an avenue for those interested in wrongful convictions, prison issues, misconduct, and social & economic issues pertaining to them, and to others who offer services to assist others on those issues. If even Mississippi has discovered that it cannot afford to imprison everyone, then when are we in Illinois going to get the message?

Sourcebook to Public Record Information, The Comprehensive Guide to County, State, & Federal Public Records Sources

Official Illinois Appellate Court reports

Gender and the politics of welfare reform, mothers' pensions in Chicago, 1911-1929

Illinois Circuit court reports, reports of cases decided in the Circuit, Superior, Criminal, Probate, county and municipal courts in Illinois, and including the unreported decisions of the the Supreme court of Illinois

Congressional Record, V. 146, Pt. 18, November 1, 2000 to January 2, 2001