Judge's murder in Chicago prompts increased security at Rolling Meadows courthouse
The chief judge of the Rolling Meadows courthouse asked for increased security at the building after a Cook County criminal court judge was murdered in front of his South Side Chicago home early Monday.
Associate Judge Raymond Myles, 66, was shot multiple times at about 5 a.m. He was assigned to Chicago's Leighton Criminal Courthouse. A 52-year-old woman, who police described as a close associate of Myles, was shot once and is expected to survive.
It was unclear whether Myles' death was linked to his work on the bench. Detectives are investigating a robbery motive, as well as possible links to a beating the judge suffered last year and recent threats he'd received, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
"We are all saddened at this level of violence perpetuated against any individual," said Cook County Judge William Maki, presiding judge of Rolling Meadows' Third District courthouse.
In response to the shooting, Maki asked the Cook County sheriff's department to increase security at the courthouse. He also informed suburban police departments of judges residing in those towns and asked that officers increase neighborhood patrols as a precaution.
Myles graduated in 1977 from the University of Illinois College of Law and worked as a Cook County prosecutor for two years before going into private practice. The Illinois Supreme Court appointed him to fill a vacancy on the bench in 1999. Circuit judges appointed him an associate judge in 2001.
Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans, of the circuit court of Cook County, praised Myles' legal experience and community service and offered condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
"I have always known Judge Myles to be focused and determined in the pursuit of justice," Evans said in a prepared statement. "His conduct earned him the confidence and respect of the people who appeared before him."
Among his many other cases, Myles presided over the first hearing for James Degorski and Juan Luna, who were arrested in 2002 for the Brown's Chicken murders in Palatine.
Police also are looking into threats Myles had received and an altercation last year. A driver is accused of punching Myles in the face, causing serious injuries. Police say Myles was parking his car when it was struck by another car. Deandre Hudson is facing an aggravated battery charge in that case. He is free on bond, according to the Sun-Times.
• Daily Herald wire services contributed to this report.