Chicago murder mystery linked to my hometown (article) - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TheHappyBurgerMeister · 03-10-2005, 07:13 PM

Yesterday in my hometown, a few miles from my house and a few block from my college a guy was pulled over in a van for a routine traffic stop, but then killed himself right there.

Well, apparently this guy is linked to the Chicago murder of a judge's husband and mother. It's kind of weird that he picked my town to go kill himself and be in, but my city is famous now for this!
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http://www.themilwaukeechannel.com/n...97/detail.html

West Allis Suicide May Solve Chicago Murder Mystery

Police Identify Bart Ross As Suicide Victim

POSTED: 3:12 pm CST March 10, 2005
UPDATED: 5:11 pm CST March 10, 2005

What appeared to be a routine traffic stop late Wednesday afternoon in West Allis has provided a huge break in a murder case that has captivated the nation.

Federal judge Joan Lefkow's husband and mother were shot to death execution style in her Chicago home on Feb. 28.

What Happened In West Allis

It began when police spotted a suspicious vehicle with a broken tail light stopped near a school.

An officer on patrol spotted a man seated in a brown minivan with Illinois plates near St. Augustine School.

The man was looking down and appeared to be writing something.

When the officer circled the block the car drove off, the officer followed him several blocks before stopping the van for having busted tail lights. That's when everything began to happen at 71st Street and Grant.

As officer Ricky Orlowski (pictured, right), 28, approached the vehicle he heard a gunshot.

"While approaching the driver, a single gunshot was fired from inside the vehicle. The bullet exited the driver's window, very close to where the officer was standing," West Allis Police Chief Dean Puschnig said.

Orlowski called for backup, and officers surrounded the vehicle, but soon learned that the driver, identified Thursday as Bart Ross, 57, of Chicago, had died of self-inflicted gunshot.

It wasn't until late Wednesday night that investigators got their first indication that Ross may be connected to the Chicago murders of Lefkow's husband and mother 10 days ago.

"We towed the vehicle back to the garage and while conducting an standard inventory search, our investigators discovered some material that led them to believe that this man could be involved or have some vital information to the Lefkow murder investigation," Puschnig said.

Police found a suicide note found in that van in which Ross admitted to the Lefkow murders and described details of the murder scene that only the killer could know, according to Chicago police.

"We're satisfied that there is information in the letter that would point us to Ross having been in the Lefkow's house that day," Chicago Police Superintendent Phil Cline said.

The note also named others who Ross claimed had mistreated him, including other judges who live in the Milwaukee area, police said.

"We have not examined all of the evidence, so to give you specifics as to why he was here, or whether there are any other judges in danger, at this point I can not divulge any additional information," FBI special agent James Finch said.

The FBI said it's also too early to confirm whether Ross is tied to the killings or, if he is, whether he acted alone.

"Until such time as we can determine whether this individual is the sole perpetrator, we have to continue our investigation," Finch said.

Police said there were actually two notes found in that van. The second detailed Ross' long history of conflicts with the medical and legal systems.

Who Was Bart Ross?

Ross had been living in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago. He had immigrated to the United States from Poland.

WISN 12 news investigative reporter Colleen Henry spent Thursday digging deep into Ross' background.

"From the reams of court records we combed through today (Thursday), it's clear Bart Ross was a very angry man. That anger appears to stem from a bout with oral cancer that left him permanently disfigured," Henry said.

Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow
Ross crossed paths with Lefkow (pictured, left) in his attempt to sue the University of Illinois Hospital that treated him.

According to court records, doctors diagnosed Ross with oral cancer in 1992, treated him with radiation and gave him a good prognosis.

The cancer returned and left Ross disfigured. He then sued the hospital for malpractice. The court said he waited too long to sue. The legal time limit for negligence claims had run out.

Ross fired and then sued his lawyer too.

His friends, Meng and Mary Hans, of Northbrook, Ill., said that's when Ross decided to represent himself.

"He went to court. It was dismissed. I don't know how many court dates that he had -- maybe five or six. He became like a lawyer," Mary Hans said.

Ross went back to court. This time his case was assigned to Lefkow, and he'd changed his claim. This time, he alleged the hospital and the court system had conspired to deprive him of his civil rights.

Lefkow dismissed that claim. She called his conspiracy allegations "fantastic or delusional," but her opinion offered an expression of compassion rarely seen in court documents.

She wrote, "The assigned judge expresses her sincere empathy with plaintiff's situation and does not intend to convey disregard for the cruel turn of fate plaintiff has experienced."

Matthew Hale

Followers of white supremacist Matthew Hale were first suspected in the murders.

Hale lost a copyright lawsuit in Lefkow's court and tried to have her killed.

Thursday, Hale's mother said she thinks her son was unfairly targetted and is glad he's no longer the main suspect.

Seinatra · 03-10-2005, 07:31 PM

That and racing pigs

TheHappyBurgerMeister · 03-10-2005, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seinatra

That and racing pigs

yeah that too!

AllIWantIsYourClutch · 03-10-2005, 09:14 PM

This is nuts. This is all we've been hearing about around here lately. Today my friend was like "Oh that guy who tried to kill my brother blew his brains out." (His brother is a lawyer.) This guy was after everyone. There weren't any lawyers willing to take his case and they think that he was out to kill a whole bunch of them.

03-10-2005, 07:13 PM	#1
TheHappyBurgerMeister Member Senior Member Join Date: Jul 23, 2002 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 2,209	Chicago murder mystery linked to my hometown (article) Yesterday in my hometown, a few miles from my house and a few block from my college a guy was pulled over in a van for a routine traffic stop, but then killed himself right there. Well, apparently this guy is linked to the Chicago murder of a judge's husband and mother. It's kind of weird that he picked my town to go kill himself and be in, but my city is famous now for this! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.themilwaukeechannel.com/n...97/detail.html West Allis Suicide May Solve Chicago Murder Mystery Police Identify Bart Ross As Suicide Victim POSTED: 3:12 pm CST March 10, 2005 UPDATED: 5:11 pm CST March 10, 2005 What appeared to be a routine traffic stop late Wednesday afternoon in West Allis has provided a huge break in a murder case that has captivated the nation. Federal judge Joan Lefkow's husband and mother were shot to death execution style in her Chicago home on Feb. 28. What Happened In West Allis It began when police spotted a suspicious vehicle with a broken tail light stopped near a school. An officer on patrol spotted a man seated in a brown minivan with Illinois plates near St. Augustine School. The man was looking down and appeared to be writing something. When the officer circled the block the car drove off, the officer followed him several blocks before stopping the van for having busted tail lights. That's when everything began to happen at 71st Street and Grant. As officer Ricky Orlowski (pictured, right), 28, approached the vehicle he heard a gunshot. "While approaching the driver, a single gunshot was fired from inside the vehicle. The bullet exited the driver's window, very close to where the officer was standing," West Allis Police Chief Dean Puschnig said. Orlowski called for backup, and officers surrounded the vehicle, but soon learned that the driver, identified Thursday as Bart Ross, 57, of Chicago, had died of self-inflicted gunshot. It wasn't until late Wednesday night that investigators got their first indication that Ross may be connected to the Chicago murders of Lefkow's husband and mother 10 days ago. "We towed the vehicle back to the garage and while conducting an standard inventory search, our investigators discovered some material that led them to believe that this man could be involved or have some vital information to the Lefkow murder investigation," Puschnig said. Police found a suicide note found in that van in which Ross admitted to the Lefkow murders and described details of the murder scene that only the killer could know, according to Chicago police. "We're satisfied that there is information in the letter that would point us to Ross having been in the Lefkow's house that day," Chicago Police Superintendent Phil Cline said. The note also named others who Ross claimed had mistreated him, including other judges who live in the Milwaukee area, police said. "We have not examined all of the evidence, so to give you specifics as to why he was here, or whether there are any other judges in danger, at this point I can not divulge any additional information," FBI special agent James Finch said. The FBI said it's also too early to confirm whether Ross is tied to the killings or, if he is, whether he acted alone. "Until such time as we can determine whether this individual is the sole perpetrator, we have to continue our investigation," Finch said. Police said there were actually two notes found in that van. The second detailed Ross' long history of conflicts with the medical and legal systems. Who Was Bart Ross? Ross had been living in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago. He had immigrated to the United States from Poland. WISN 12 news investigative reporter Colleen Henry spent Thursday digging deep into Ross' background. "From the reams of court records we combed through today (Thursday), it's clear Bart Ross was a very angry man. That anger appears to stem from a bout with oral cancer that left him permanently disfigured," Henry said. Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow Ross crossed paths with Lefkow (pictured, left) in his attempt to sue the University of Illinois Hospital that treated him. According to court records, doctors diagnosed Ross with oral cancer in 1992, treated him with radiation and gave him a good prognosis. The cancer returned and left Ross disfigured. He then sued the hospital for malpractice. The court said he waited too long to sue. The legal time limit for negligence claims had run out. Ross fired and then sued his lawyer too. His friends, Meng and Mary Hans, of Northbrook, Ill., said that's when Ross decided to represent himself. "He went to court. It was dismissed. I don't know how many court dates that he had -- maybe five or six. He became like a lawyer," Mary Hans said. Ross went back to court. This time his case was assigned to Lefkow, and he'd changed his claim. This time, he alleged the hospital and the court system had conspired to deprive him of his civil rights. Lefkow dismissed that claim. She called his conspiracy allegations "fantastic or delusional," but her opinion offered an expression of compassion rarely seen in court documents. She wrote, "The assigned judge expresses her sincere empathy with plaintiff's situation and does not intend to convey disregard for the cruel turn of fate plaintiff has experienced." Matthew Hale Followers of white supremacist Matthew Hale were first suspected in the murders. Hale lost a copyright lawsuit in Lefkow's court and tried to have her killed. Thursday, Hale's mother said she thinks her son was unfairly targetted and is glad he's no longer the main suspect.
	__________________ Kristina Thinkin' 'Bout Something Official Music Video Shout it Out- Hanson's 5th studio album in stores June 8th!

03-10-2005, 07:31 PM	#2
Seinatra Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 29, 2004 Location: Gran Chaco Posts: 1,840	That and racing pigs

03-10-2005, 09:14 PM	#4
AllIWantIsYourClutch peaceout. Forum Icon Join Date: Aug 02, 2001 Location: Illinois. Posts: 53,424	This is nuts. This is all we've been hearing about around here lately. Today my friend was like "Oh that guy who tried to kill my brother blew his brains out." (His brother is a lawyer.) This guy was after everyone. There weren't any lawyers willing to take his case and they think that he was out to kill a whole bunch of them.