McHenry County judge selected to preside over Vanecko case
A McHenry County judge who handles a wide variety of juvenile matters will preside over the involuntary-manslaughter case of Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, the nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley, accused in the death of David Koschman on Chicago’s Near North Side.
David Koschman died on May 6, 2004 — 11 days after he was punched in the face by a nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley. Read the Sun-Times’ initial two-part series by clicking “The David Koschman case” link above.
Read MoreMystery in Daley nephew case: Why did police open 2nd case file?
THE WATCHDOGS: There’s a mystery in the David Koschman case that the Chicago Police Department has never explained: Why did detectives open what they labeled a “non-criminal” investigation into Koschman’s death on the same day they reclassified what originally was a battery case as a homicide? Law enforcement sources say it’s unusual for the police department to open two separate files on the same case.
Vanecko judge with ties to Daley, Devine: ‘I can be fair, impartial’
The involuntary manslaughter case of Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley, was assigned Monday to a judge who worked in the Cook County state’s attorney’s office for Daley and his successor, Richard Devine, whose handling of the David Koschman case remains under investigation by a special prosecutor. Still Judge Arthur F. Hill Jr. declined to step aside, saying he “believes I can be fair and impartial.”
Video surfaces in Vanecko probe showing Koschman before punch
Security surveillance video has turned up showing David Koschman a few hours before his drunken 2004 encounter with Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, the nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley who’s charged with killing the 21-year-old Mount Prospect man, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Nephew accused in Koschman case basically ‘good kid’: Bill Daley
The death of David Koschman was “a tragedy all the way around,” but Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko is “basically a good kid,” his uncle William Daley said Tuesday in the first public comments from anyone in the Daley family since Vanecko’s indictment Monday on an involuntary manslaughter charge.
Daley nephew charged with involuntary manslaughter in Koschman death
Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko — a grandson of the late Mayor Richard J. Daley and nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley — has been indicted on a charge of involuntary manslaughter, accused of throwing the punch that led to the 2004 death of 21-year-old David Koschman of Mount Prospect.
After punch, Vanecko moved to Hollywood
Not so long ago, Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko worked for a Chicago investment company that financed Hollywood movies starring Robert DeNiro and Cameron Diaz. He went to parties at the Sundance Film Festival. He tried his hand at television. Now, the nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley faces an even more high-profile role: as a defendant in the 2004 death of David Koschman.
Sun-Times stories brought Koschman case to light
The indictment returned Monday against Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko resulted from a special prosecutor’s investigation prompted by dozens of news stories published by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Alvarez: My office did nothing wrong
Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez said Monday neither she nor her prosecutors did anything wrong in their handling of the investigation into David Koschman’s death. In fact, Alvarez said her office had even empaneled a grand jury last year to investigate the 2004 case involving Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, a nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley.
Editorial: A mother’s prayers for justice answered
We hear the rusty wheels of justice beginning to turn. That is all Nanci Koschman, the grieving mother of a young man who died after being punched outside a Division Street bar, ever wanted for her son. Not revenge but justice. Not a witch hunt …
Mark Brown: Vanecko’s indictment not enough
Mark Brown: The indictment of former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s nephew Richard J. Vanecko in the 2004 death of David Koschman strikes a historic blow on behalf of the little guys of this city and against the sense of immunity enjoyed by its political elite. But, extraordinary as it is, it’s not enough.
Marin: No Christmas lights at Koschman home anymore
Christmas “was always my holiday,” Nanci Koschman says, but not anymore, not since her son David Koschman’s death. She says Monday’s indictment of Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley, carries some vindication in that someone is being held responsible. But it won’t turn the Christmas lights back on at her Mount Prospect home.
Who was David Koschman? Victim made friends easily and kept them
David Koschman — the victim of a fatal punch for which a nephew of former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley is now charged — was an only child who was just 12 when his father died. He made friends easily and kept them.
The light in her life gone, Koschman mom presses on
For years, Nanci Koschman was so consumed by grief she couldn’t bring herself to talk about the violent death of her only child, David Koschman. But as more information came out about how he died and how the investigations into his death were handled, the Mount Prospect woman gradually found the courage to speak up about what happened.
Mary Mitchell: Vanecko indictment a hopeful sign for the little guy
There are times when I think that Chicago is going to hell in a handbasket. This is not one of those days. Today, there is a glimmer of hope because the mother of a regular guy — a guy with no clout; a guy who, had he landed in trouble, couldn’t have afforded a lawyer in a three-piece suit — helped expose a criminal-justice system that too often fails to uphold the rights of the common man when they clash with the interests of the powerful.
Koschman prosecutor Dan K. Webb well-versed in all things Rush Street
Dan K. Webb understands Rush Street, Chicago’s legendary late-night entertainment district. Forty years before he led the grand jury investigation that resulted in Monday’s indictment of a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley in the death of David Koschman after a drunken confrontation in the nightlife area, Webb prosecuted two dozen Chicago cops for taking kickbacks from more than 50 bars and nightclubs on the city’s North Side, most of them near Rush and Division streets.
Nanci Koschman reacts to the news of an indictment against R.J. Vanecko in the 2004 death of her son, David Koschman.
Special prosecutor Dan Webb’s Koschman investigation bills now top $585,000
The cost of the ongoing investigation by a special prosecutor into a 2004 death linked to a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley is up to $585,739. The Cook County Board’s Finance Committee is set to vote Tuesday on the latest bill submitted by special prosecutor Dan K. Webb, the former U.S. attorney appointed by Cook County Judge Michael P. Toomin in April to reinvestigate David Koschman’s death following a drunken confrontation with Daley nephew Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko.
Koschman probe bills top $366,000, special prosecutor now questioning police
The legal tab for the investigation into David Koschman’s death has topped $366,000, as special prosecutor Dan K. Webb has begun interviewing Chicago police officers who worked on the case that involved a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley.
John Daley joins other county officials in OKing Koschman probe legal bills
County Commissioner John P. Daley joined the rest of the Cook County Board in voting Monday to approve more than a quarter-million dollars in legal bills for the special prosecutor investigating the death in 2004 of David Koschman, who died after being punched by Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, a Daley nephew.
Koschman prosecutor Dan K. Webb’s bill so far: $255,213
The special prosecutor investigating the case of David Koschman — who died after being punched by a nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley — has submitted his first bills, totaling $255,213.
Does grand jury have David Koschman surveillance video?
THE WATCHDOGS: No surveillance video has ever surfaced from the spring night in 2004 when a nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley threw the punch that led to David Koschman’s death, but now a grand jury led by Special Prosecutor Dan K. Webb has subpoenaed Rush Street-area bars including Mother’s, Butch McGuire’s and The Lodge looking for video.
Grand jury convened to investigate 2004 death of David Koschman
A grand jury is now investigating the death of David Koschman, who died in 2004 after he was punched in the face by Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley.
Chicago Police Department won’t release emails on Koschman case
THE WATCHDOGS: The Chicago Police Department is refusing to release copies of nearly 300 emails officials sent during the two months early last year spent reinvestigating a 2004 homicide case involving a nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley. Officials said it would be “unduly burdensome” to go through those emails to ensure what could be made public. Meanwhile, a special prosecutor has been interviewing witnesses in the death of David Koschman, who was punched in the face by Daley nephew Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko.
The Watchdogs: David Koschman witness: I felt intimidated by investigator
THE WATCHDOGS: A witness in the David Koschman case was visited last month by Thomas M. O’Connor, a private investigator he says claimed to be working for Koschman’s mother. The witness says he felt intimidated by O’Connor.
Koschman judge names ex-U.S. Attorney Webb special prosecutor
Former U.S. Attorney Dan K. Webb — who won the convictions of corrupt Cook County judges and a former national security adviser — was appointed Monday as the special prosecutor to re-examine the 2004 death of David Koschman, who died after being punched by Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, a nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley.
Koschman mom on ruling: ‘I didn’t think it was going to go my way’
The ruling had been made, and everyone was leaving Judge Michael Toomin’s courtroom Friday at 26th and California, but Nanci Koschman remained, sitting in the front row, quietly weeping.
Excerpts from the Koschman judge’s comments
These are excerpts of the comments made in court Friday by Cook County Circuit Judge Michael P. Toomin in announcing his ruling that a special prosecutor will re-examine the 2004 death of David Koschman after being punched by Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, a nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley:
Mark Brown: Koschman judge again fights injustice
David Koschman, though still waiting for his justice, is closer than I would have ever thought possible.
Special prosecutor to re-examine case of Koschman, Daley nephew
Declaring “the system has failed” David Koschman, a judge took the rare step Friday of appointing a special prosecutor to re-examine the 2004 case of the 21-year-old from Mount Prospect who died after being punched in the face by a nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley.
Alvarez defends her actions, promises cooperation
Though Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez said she won’t appeal a judge’s ruling Friday to appoint an outside prosecutor to re-examine the David Koschman case, she defended her handling of the case — and her failed effort against bringing in a special prosecutor.
How the David Koschman case unfolded
David Koschman died in 2004, but his death as the result of being punched by a nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley has been back in the news since the publication in February 2011 of the first of a series of reports in a Chicago Sun-Times investigation. Here are some key dates in the newspaper’s investigation and actions that resulted from those reports:
What Nanci Koschman is doing takes courage. She sat, quietly crying at times, in the first row of Courtroom 606 at the Cook County Criminal Courts on Thursday as her attorneys asked Judge Michael Toomin to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the events surrounding her son’s death.
THE WATCHDOGS: Judge questions self-defense finding in Daley nephew case
A judge questioned Thursday how the police concluded that Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, a nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley, acted in self-defense when he delivered a deadly blow nearly eight years ago. Juge Michael Toomin noted that five witnesses have given sworn statements denying that the victim, David Koschman, was physically aggressive.
Daley nephew fights Koschman mom’s special-prosecutor request
Tired of sitting on “the sidelines,” a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley is fighting a mother’s request for a special prosecutor to reinvestigate the death of David Koschman, who died after a punch police say the nephew threw. Lawyers for Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko have asked to intervene in the case because Nanci Koschman’s lawyers suggested last week that Vanecko may have confessed to striking the Mount Prospect man — an allegation Vanecko’s lawyers called “a complete and utter fabrication.”
Did Daley nephew Vanecko confess to fatal punch?
A nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley “may have made an admission of guilt” to detectives that he threw the punch that caused David Koschman’s death, attorneys for Koschman’s family said in a court filing Wednesday.
Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez says she has no conflicts of interest that would keep her from being able to fairly reinvestigate a 2004 homicide case involving Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, a nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley. But lawyers for the family of …
The Watchdogs: Koschman judge gave money to Alvarez campaign
THE WATCHDOGS: The judge who’s to decide whether a special prosecutor investigates the Cook County state’s attorney’s office’s handling of a homicide case involving a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley has contributed $1,450 to the re-election campaign of State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, records show.
Judge: Alvarez must turn over interviews to Koschman lawyers
A Cook County judge ordered State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez on Wednesday to turn over transcripts of six witness interviews to lawyers for Nanci Koschman, a Mount Prospect woman who’s seeking the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the death of her son, David Koschman, after an drunken confrontation with a nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley in 2004.
State’s attorney: Releasing Koschman transcripts would ‘undermine’ case
Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez is fighting an effort by the family of David Koschman to make public transcripts of witness interviews related to Koschman’s homicide case. “The wholesale disclosure of the information that the petitioners request would disrupt the ongoing criminal investigation and …
Cops’ vacation led to quick halt of Koschman probe
THE WATCHDOGS: Facing the possibility of coming under scrutiny by a special prosecutor, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Chicago Police Department are, for the first time, offering an explanation for why, just hours into the case, detectives abruptly dropped the David Koschman investigation and didn’t pick it up again for 15 days: The two detectives assigned to the case went on vacation.
Koschman family, Alvarez spar over transcripts in Daley nephew case
Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez’s office has until Feb. 21 to oppose an effort by the family of David Koschman to make public transcripts of witness interviews related to Koschman’s homicide case, Cook County Judge Michael Toomin said Friday. Lawyers for the Koschman family …
Koschman attorneys want transcripts of investigator interviews released
Attorneys for the family of David Koschman on Tuesday asked a judge to release transcripts of interviews that investigators recently conducted with Koschman’s friends and other witnesses. Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez included portions of those interviews in her objection to Nanci Koschman’s request …
State’s Attorney Alvarez not up to the task of investigating Koschman case
MARK BROWN: Just finished a second reading of Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez’s court filing in which she explains all the reasons there’s no need for a special prosecutor to investigate the death of David Koschman. As all Sun-Times readers know, Koschman is the …
Alvarez: No special prosecutor needed in Koschman case
Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez will fight a Mount Prospect woman’s effort to have a special prosecutor appointed to investigate the homicide of her son, who died after being involved in a drunken confrontation with Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, a nephew of former mayor Richard M. Daley.
Alvarez hints she’ll fight special prosecutor request
Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez says there’s no reason to have a special prosecutor re-investigate the nearly 8-year-old homicide of David Koschman — a case that involved a nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley.
BGA: Special prosecutor needed in Koschman case
The Better Government Association has filed a “friend of the court” brief backing the call for a special prosecutor to be appointed to investigate a 2004 homicide case involving Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley.
Judge to hear Koschman special-prosecutor request in March
Arguments over whether a special prosecutor should be appointed to investigate a 2004 Chicago homicide case involving a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley and current White House Chief of Staff William Daley were set Wednesday for March 6 by a Cook County judge.
Will state’s attorney oppose special prosecutor in Koschman case?
THE WATCHDOGS: The Cook County state’s attorney’s office indicated Thursday it may challenge an effort to get a special prosecutor appointed to investigate a 2004 homicide case involving Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley.
Koschman mom: Fighting for son, ‘want him to know I did everything’
THE WATCHDOGS: David Koschman’s mother says she wants a special prosecutor to examine her son’s death from a punch thrown by a nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley, as well as the conduct of the police and prosecutors, because “the case was not handled properly . . . . I feel that, had the roles been reversed, if David had punched R.J. Vanecko, I’d be visiting my son in prison this Christmas.”
Koschman’s mom asks for special prosecutor to look into son’s death
THE WATCHDOGS: More than seven years after her son David Koschman died as the result of a punch thrown by a nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley, Nanci Koschman asked Wednesday for the appointment of a special prosecutor to reexamine the entire case. Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko “is not entitled to escape prosecution simply because he is the nephew of former Mayor Daley,” she said.
Koschman witness had run-ins with police
THE WATCHDOGS: The man who lied to the police twice and, as a result, may have delayed the investigation into the violent death of David Koschman had six prior run-ins with the law in Chicago, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Daley nephew was biggest guy at Koschman scene — but not lineup
THE WATCHDOGS: Months after being asked to release lineup photos including former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s nephew, Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, the Chicago Police Department finally did so Friday, and the photos from the investigation into the death of 21-year-old David Koschman of Mount Prospect show the lineup was filled with police officers who made the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Vanecko — who was the biggest and tallest man in their deadly confrontation on Division Street — look no more than average-size by comparison.
County proposes review of state’s attorney after inspector blocked in Koschman case
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Cmsr. John Daley are proposing an ordinance that would give the county inspector general’s office the authority to investigate State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez’s office, a measure put forth by Inspector General Patrick Blanchard after Alvarez blocked him from …
Vanecko lawyer says there’s no clout in David Koschman case
CAROL MARIN: Terry Gillespie doesn’t call often. The prominent Chicago criminal defense attorney picked up the phone last week because he had something to say about whether or not clout played a role in how the police handled the David Koschman case.
Marin: David Koschman case a chance for Anita Alvarez to keep campaign vow
Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez says she’s running for re-election. And though some names of possible opponents are being tossed around — former Inspector General David Hoffman and Cook County Commissioner John Fritchey — no one, so far, is running against her. She will …
Missing file in Koschman case says Daley nephew was aggressive
THE WATCHDOGS: A police report from 2004 that was never made public says a witness told police that Daley nephew Richard J. “R.J” Vanecko had been acting in a “very aggressive” manner toward David Koschman before delivering fatal punch.
David Koschman case demands a special grand jury
CAROL MARIN: We need a special grand jury. And either Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez or U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald needs to call for it. The 2004 homicide of 21-year-old David Koschman cries out for it.
More missing files in David Koschman case, cops still close it
THE WATCHDOGS: In the latest twist in the high-profile homicide case involving a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned that the Chicago Police Department’s original files from the David Koschman case were missing for months — possibly years.
City worker quit in the face of David Koschman questions
Former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s director of special events resigned while facing the prospect of being fired for refusing to cooperate in the city inspector general’s investigation into the Chicago Police Department’s handling of a homicide case involving Daley’s nephew.
CAROL MARIN: Megan McDonald’s name is in the news today and not in a good way. And so when I called her Tuesday and left a message on her voice mail, I figured she might not be calling back. But she did. She wanted to …
Witnesses questioned in David Koschman homicide case
THE WATCHDOGS: Investigators from the city of Chicago’s inspector general’s office have now questioned three of four key witnesses as they look into the Chicago Police Department’s handling of a 2004 homicide case involving a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley and William Daley, President Barack Obama’s White House chief of staff.
Hired Trucks to homicide: Much that Daley faced in 2004 took years to surface
THE WATCHDOGS: Former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley was facing plenty of turmoil in 2004 that the public knew about at the time — and more that it didn’t, as recent revelations show.
Another key figure in Koschman case also a relative of Daley family
THE WATCHDOGS: Another key figure in a deadly 2004 confrontation involving a nephew of then-Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley is a British businessman who also is related to the Daley family.
Friends delayed pointing to Daley nephew in Koschman death
THE WATCHDOGS: Bridget Higgins McCarthy and her husband, Kevin McCarthy, found themselves in a tough spot on April 25, 2004. Their friend Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, a nephew of Mayor Daley, had just been involved in a drunken confrontation in the Rush Street area that left a 21-year-old man severely injured. David Koschman died 11 days later. The McCarthys knew R.J. was the guy the police wanted to talk to but hadn’t been able to identify. But they weren’t telling.
Anita Alvarez blocks probe of her office on David Koschman case
THE WATCHDOGS: After calling for an investigation of how the Chicago Police Department handled David Koschman’s homicide, Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez now is blocking county Inspector General Patrick Blanchard from investigating how her office handled the case involving Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko, a nephew of Mayor Daley and William Daley, President Obama’s chief of staff.
The last days of David Koschman after being hit by Daley nephew
THE WATCHDOGS: One punch. Three skull fractures. Two brain operations. Two heart surgeries. David Koschman spent 12 days fighting for his life after he was hit by Mayor Daley’s nephew in April 2004. He would never regain consciousness and never leave Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Vanecko’s father long a top surgeon at hospital that treated Koschman
Northwestern Memorial Hospital — where David Koschman was taken after being punched by Mayor Daley’s nephew Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko — was the closest trauma center. It’s also where Vanecko’s father, Dr. Robert M. Vanecko, has been a leading surgeon for decades. Vanecko didn’t treat …
City clams up in David Koschman homicide case
Nanci Koschman remembers Easter long ago when her son, David, was little. “His dad would take baby powder to make footprints on the floor like the bunny was leaving eggs,” she said by phone on Friday from her home in Mount Prospect. Parents hold their …
