Tony Gordon is the Daily Herald legal affairs reporter for Lake County, responsible for covering courts and major crimes. Since he began covering courts in Lake County in 1988, he has reported on cases including Juan Rivera's three convictions for the 1992 murder of 11-year-old Holly Staker in Waukegan; William Rouse's 1996 confession and subsequent conviction for the 1980 murders of his parents and the 2008 prosecution of Peter Hommerson, who fled to Mexico after murdering Marvin and Kay Lichtman in their Barrington Hills mansion.
He has attended numerous law enforcement training programs, including courses on investigations of murders, drug crimes, auto theft and arson. In 2000, Gordon was part of the Daily Herald team that produced the series "Driving Drunk Again and Again" which was awarded the Peter Lisagor Award for public service for exposing the dangers of repeat drunken drivers.
Gordon was featured in the 2008 Court TV documentary "House of Secrets" on the Rouse family murders.
Prior to joining the Daily Herald in 1994, he worked at newspapers in Waukegan, Wilmette, Carbondale and Robinson in Illinois and Evansville, Ind. In addition to covering courts and crime, Gordon has reported on local governments, schools, politics and motor sports over a career that began in 1978. The Lake County native is a graduate of Stevenson High School, the College of Lake County in Grayslake and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, where he majored in journalism and political science.