Degorski to appeal confession ruling

Defense attorneys for James Degorski, charged with capital murder in the 1993 slayings of seven people at a Brown's Chicken restaurant in Palatine, will appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court an appellate court's decision allowing a jury to view part of Degorski's videotaped confession.

The appellate court over-turned Judge Vincent Gaughan, who had ruled the videotape inadmissible because the police -- having read Degorski his Miranda rights before they began questioning him -- did not re-read them before taping his statement.

At a pre-trial hearing Wednesday, Gaughan granted defense attorney Mark Levitt leave to file the appeal, noting that the state's highest court is in recess until September.

Last year, a jury convicted Degorski's co-defendant Juan Luna of the murders of Michael Castro, Lynn and Richard Ehlenfeldt, Guadalupe Maldonado, Thomas Mennes, Marcus Nellsen and Rico Solis. He is serving a life sentence. Degorski's next court date is July 29.