*Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans’s full statement can be read at the bottom of this article.
COOK COUNTY, Ill. (WGN) — A Cook County judge is not currently hearing domestic violence cases after Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans said a woman’s death in a domestic violence incident “should not have occurred.”
Evans made the assertion in a statement shared with WGN News Tuesday.
The woman in question — 54-year-old Lacramioara Beldie — was killed on Monday, Nov. 18, when her husband, Constantin Beldie, stabbed her to death before taking his own life in the city’s Portage Park neighborhood.
Court documents showed he was charged in another attack against Beldie in October, where he was accused of approaching her in an alley, physically beating her and throwing her to the ground before she escaped while he tried to drag her into his vehicle.
During the court proceedings that followed, prosecutors asked for Constantin Beldie to be held on pretrial detention, but the judge presiding over the case — Thomas Nowinski — denied the request and released Beldie on electronic monitoring.
Months earlier, Nowinski made another critical decision in a high-profile domestic violence case. He rejected a pregnant woman’s emergency protective order before 11-year-old Jayden Perkins was stabbed to death trying to protect her from Crosetti Brand, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
On Tuesday, Evans said, “Lacramioara Beldie’s tragic death is one that should not have occurred” and that “in light of anonymous threats made to Judge Nowinski, he is not currently hearing cases involving domestic violence or orders of protection.”
Evans added Beldie’s death has revealed gaps in policies and procedures when it comes to domestic violence cases in Cook County, and the Office of the Chief Judge is actively investigating whether any employees failed to follow policies and procedures during Beldie’s case.
Moving forward, Evans pledged to provide additional training for all Cook County judges who hear domestic violence cases and petitions for orders of protection, improve electronic monitoring processes and protocols, strengthen collaboration with new Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke, ask for Cook County’s electronic monitoring vendor to improve the process of victim enrollment in its service, and provide additional training to Cook County employees on the electronic monitoring software.
Cook County Chief Judge Tim Evans full statement on Lacramioara Beldie’s death:
“Lacramioara Beldie’s tragic death is one that should not have occurred.
“Early findings in our preliminary examination of this case indicate the court was provided incomplete information about the case, and made the best decisions it could with the information provided to the court at that time.
“This unfortunate situation has revealed gaps in policies and procedures that the Office of the Chief Judge is addressing to assure no other victim of domestic violence meets this fate.
“My office is currently investigating to determine whether any employee failed to follow policies and procedures in this case. We pledge to provide additional training to all judges who hear domestic violence cases and petitions for orders of protection, including the Pretrial Division judges who hear these cases on weekends.
“My staff is working to strengthen the electronic monitoring processes and protocols, which are most effective when domestic violence victims who have requested an order of protection are able to participate in the technology by installing software on their phones.
“I will also be reaching out to State’s Attorney Elect Eileen O’Neill Burke to strengthen collaboration between our offices to ensure that this service is available to every individual who requires it.
“I have also asked our electronic monitoring vendor to improve and speed up the process in which the victim enrolls in the service, and to provide additional training on the software to our employees.
“Every day, Cook County judges work to protect the community from violent offenders while also respecting the constitutional rights of the accused. This involves making difficult decisions with the best information they have. While the higher courts have authority to review those decisions, interdivisional judicial transfers and assignments are never a result of a judge’s independent decision-making. However, in light of anonymous threats made to Judge Nowinski, he is not currently hearing cases involving domestic violence or orders of protection.”
