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Homicide defendant critical of attorneys
HALLOWEEN HOMECOMING
Wants March trial in parents’ shooting By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com
H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
Melissa Hiller, dressed as a ghost, surprises her daughter, Leah (far right), as son Luke (bottom left), husband Scott, and fourth-grade teacher Carey Noonan (background) watch Friday at Valley View School in McHenry. Hiller surprised both her children and husband after a 10-month deployment in Kuwait.
SPECIAL TREAT Soldier mom returns home, surprises children at school
By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com McHENRY – Fourth-grader Leah Hiller got a not-so-scary surprise this Halloween. A mysterious person wearing a homemade ghost costume arrived with her father, Scott Hiller, and little brother, Luke, to the cafeteria of Valley View Elementary School. Luke – with a little help from dad – pulled back the sheet to reveal their mom, Melissa Hiller, who had been away from home
on a 10-month deployment to Camp Arifjan in Kuwait with the Illinois National Guard. Leah stood for a moment, not quite comprehending before, with a joyful shout, hurling herself into her mom’s arms. “I thought she was her friend,” she said afterward, surrounded by her friends and classmates who all gave Hiller hugs of their own. This was Hiller’s second deployment since joining the
See HOMECOMING, page A5
On the Web: To view video of the Halloween surprise reunion between a McCullom Lake soldier and her family, visit NWHerald.com.
WOODSTOCK – Against the advice of his attorney, and warnings from the judge, a former Algonquin man facing a possible life sentence on double homicide charges pushed his trial date to only four months away. Michael W. Romano, 55, has been in custody of the McHenry County Jail for about eight months, unable to post the $300,000 required for his release. On Friday, he told Judge Sharon Prather that he has Michael W. not met with his at- Romano torneys as often as he’d like and said he’s not being “properly represented.” Romano requested a March 23 trial date, and his attorney, Assistant Public Defender Rick Behof, put it on the record that he would not be ready for trial that quickly. “It took eight years of investigation to bring charges against Mr. Romano,” Behof said. “…We’ve got boxes and boxes of discovery to go through.” Behof said his client was “running his mouth in this courtroom, to blogs and the newspaper.” Criminal defendants typically aren’t advised to speak directly to the judge because what they say potentially could harm their case. But Romano did it anyway. He offered a lengthy diatribe that took shots at his attorneys and the prosecutors on his case, and he complained that his case hasn’t yet gone to trial. “[State’s Attorney] Lou Bianchi and [prosecutor] Michael Combs should have never brought this before a grand jury,” Romano told the judge. “In time, people will find out
See DEFENDANT, page A5
Psych evaluation ordered for alleged Holiday Hills shooter WOODSTOCK – An independent psychological evaluation was ordered by the defense team for the man accused of ambushing and wounding two McHenry County sheriff’s deputies. In court documents, Assistant Public Defender Rick Behof said Scott B. Peters has acted strangely since being arrested on accusations that he at-
tempted to kill three McHenry County Prather granted Behof’s request for sheriff’s deputies. He noted his client the evaluation, but has a history of mental illness. capped it at $3,000. “Mr. Peters’ behavior before, Peters is accused during and after the incident can be of firing more than described as extremely [bizarre],” Bea dozen shots at dephof wrote in a motion asking for an uties who responded evaluation. to his Holiday Hills He declined to elaborate on Peters’ home for a report of bizarre behavior, but said the very naa domestic battery. ture of the charges against him war- Scott B. Peters Two deputies susrants a psychological evaluation. tained gunshot injuMcHenry County Judge Sharon ries. Khalia Satkiewicz is recovering
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at home, and Dwight Maness remains hospitalized. Maness’ injuries required surgery. A third deputy, Eric Luna, returned fire but was uninjured. Peters is facing a prison term of 165 years to life if convicted of attempted murder of a peace officer, battery and weapons charges. He eluded police for about 16 hours after the Oct. 16 shooting. He eventually was captured about six miles from his home.
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Peters, who is a former military member, was described by prosecutors as being anti-police and anti-government. He limped to the bench at his last court date, but on Friday was shackled to a wheelchair. Defendants in custody of the McHenry County Jail typically aren’t shackled for court appearances. Peters remains in custody on $7 million bond. His next court date is Nov. 7.
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By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com