COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke has received death threats, is worried for his wife and children and likely will seek to move his case outside of Cook County, his attorney said Friday.
Van Dyke, 37, appeared in court Friday for a brief routine status hearing.
As Van Dyke left the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, surrounded by sheriff's deputies, a handful of protestors with megaphones shouted "murderer," "16 shots and a cover-up" and "Justice for Laquan," as they have at other Van Dyke court appearances.
Protestors shouting "murderer" "16 shots and a coverup" outside #JasonVanDyke hearing @DNAinfoCHI pic.twitter.com/PNrSv1gBXK
— Erica Demarest (@ericademarest) January 29, 2016Van Dyke's attorney remained inside, where he told reporters Van Dyke has received death threats. The officer has taken odd jobs to make money and is worried for his wife and children, defense attorney Dan Herbert said.
Herbert also noted that he may seek to move the trial away from Cook County, where Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has made damning comments about Van Dyke. No official motions have been filed.
Van Dyke pleaded not guilty last month to six counts of first-degree murder and one count of official misconduct for the October 2014 shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.
McDonald had been stealing car radios and was armed with a 3-inch knife when Chicago Police officers in Archer Heights called in a radio request for a Taser on Oct. 20, 2014, prosecutors said.
Van Dyke and his partner responded to the call, but never specified whether they had a Taser. Within seconds of arriving on the scene, Van Dyke pulled his gun and emptied his clip into McDonald, shooting the teen 16 times, according to authorities.
Video of the shooting, which was released via a court order in November 2015, sparked citywide protests that shut down the Mag Mile.
After a brief hearing held mostly behind closed doors in the chambers of Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan, the next court date for Van Dyke was set for March 23.
Prosecutors gave Herbert material related to the IPRA investigation into Van Dyke.
Additionally, Judge Gaughan said he would meet with Van Dyke, defense attorneys, prosecutors and press on March 10 to discuss how the trial will move forward. Gaughan has handled a number of high-profile cases, including the child pornography case against R&B singer R. Kelly.
Protestors chase #JasonVanDyke outside courthouse, say they're angry "a murderer" gets police escorts @DNAinfoCHI pic.twitter.com/1Ia8G2Wafx
— Erica Demarest (@ericademarest) January 29, 2016About a dozen protestors gathered outside, where one woman said it was a slap in the face to watch Van Dyke be escorted from the courthouse to a waiting car.
"You're being tried for murder, but being treated like a very important city official," Humboldt Park resident Rousemary Vega said. "There's no possible way any other murderer is being escorted out of a courthouse."
Vega and others said they planned to attend each of Van Dyke's hearings moving forward. Most murder cases take two years to go to trial.
"We as a city have witnessed, on national TV, a murder," Vega said. "We demand justice for once. ... He murdered a kid, and we're afraid he's going to go free."
Judge Gaughan last week said cameras will be allowed in the courtroom for Van Dyke's pre-trial court appearances. Gaughan has yet to decide whether Van Dyke's actual trial can be recorded.
Cameras are only allowed inside Cook County courtrooms on a case-by-case basis as part of a pilot program that launched last year.
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