A look back at Lake County criminal courts in 2015

The Lake County courthouse saw its fair share of news conferences in 2015.

Cases involving Melissa Calusinski, Jorge Torrez and Michael Vucic all captured headlines in 2015, and some will continue into 2016. Below are the biggest cases judges reviewed in 2015.

Melissa Calusinski: The Calusinski case returned to the headlines in February when the news show "48 Hours" told the story of the former Minee Subee in the Park day care center employee and the death of 16-month-old Benjamin Kingan of Deerfield. Calusinski, 28, of Carpentersville, was convicted by a jury in 2009 and sentenced to a 31-year prison sentence for throwing Kingan to the floor. On the show, Lake County Coroner Dr. Thomas Rudd argued the child died due to a pre-existing injury, which resulted in the coroner changing Kingan's cause of death to undetermined. Rudd's comments in the media caused a political rift with Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim, who refused to reopen the case. In June, defense attorney Kathleen Zellner filed a motion on behalf of Calusinski for a new trial. Judge Daniel Shanes requested the state answer the motion.

"We have heard the criticism from some people, but because of court ethics, we have not been able to respond," Nerheim said. "There is another side to this whole case that hasn't been reported. But we are finally able to present all the facts of the case in court, where it belongs."

The state has until Dec. 31 to file its response. A hearing on the matter is set for Jan 8, 2016.

Michael Vucic: The former Gavin Middle School teacher was sentenced to 50 years in prison for sexually assaulting two students during his 18-year career as a social studies teacher at Ingleside-based Gavin Elementary District 37. Vucic, 41, of Lake Forest was charged with sexually assaulting the students and arrested in Bosnia in 2015, but did not appear in Lake County court until January. He was ordered held on no bond. He pleaded guilty to charges in September and was sentenced to prison in November.

- Jorge Avila-Torrez: The former Zion man and ex-Marine is due to stand trial in 2016 for the notorious murder and sexual assault of 8-year-old Laura Hobbs and her friend, 9-year-old Krystal Tobias. Avila-Torrez, 25, was returned to Lake County in December, and has been going through the court process during the past 12 months. Most recently, Avila-Torrez told defense attorney Jed Stone that he has been on a hunger strike. If found guilty on the 18 counts of murder, he could be sentenced up to 100 years in an Illinois prison. However, after the verdict, he will be returned to Virginia, where he was sentenced to death for killing a Navy sailor.

"We're ready to go, but it's up to the defense when it goes to trial in 2016," Nerheim said. "We look forward to trying that case and bringing some justice to the family and the Zion community as a whole."

Exonerated men: Angel Gonzalez and Jason Strong became the fifth and sixth persons released from prison through Lake County after it was determined they were wrongfully convicted. Gonzalez, 41, spent 20 years in prison for rape and kidnapping in 1994. DNA exonerated him and he was released in March. Strong, 39, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 46 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of killing Mary Kate Sunderlin in 2000. He was released in May after several witnesses recanted their statements, another died, and new forensic evidence surfaced casting doubt on the conviction, Nerheim said.

"I made a commitment to not only do more to prevent wrongful convictions from happening in the future, but also review cases to see if wrongful convictions existed," Nerheim said. "I've done that with those two cases this year."

A tragic tale: A 15-year-old Mundelein juvenile pleaded guilty in January to killing her 11-year-old, half-sister Dora Betancourt. The juvenile was never charged as an adult, and therefore, never named by the Daily Herald. The girl was accused of repeatedly stabbing her half-sister in the younger girl's bedroom in January, 2014. The girls were home alone, authorities said. The teen, who was 14 at the time, confessed to authorities she killed Betancourt because she felt unappreciated. Authorities said the juvenile was sentenced to remain in the juvenile justice center until she turns 21.

Some cases to watch in 2016

• Armondo Trejo, 47, of Beach Park is accused of killing his wife and her son during a violent attack at his home Nov. 29.

• David Brocksom, 43, of Kenosha, Wisconsin, faces multiple counts of first-degree murder for killing ex-wife Beata Brocksom before dawn on Sept. 27.

• Roberto Romero, 24, of Waukegan, faces multiple counts of murder for gunning down his girlfriend in a Waukegan tavern Jan. 2.

• Sarah Gumm, 36, of Waukegan faces life in prison for killing a 3-month-old child in August 2012. The trial is expected to take place in the first half of the year.

• Desmond Clark, 38, and his wife, Maria, 33, will both be in court to answer disorderly conduct charges for an Aug. 29 incident at Vernon Hills High School. Maria Clark is also facing charges in a separate misdemeanor battery incident from May 31.