Former swim instructor guilty of molesting girl
A jury found former swim instructor Kevin Skowron guilty of predatory criminal sexual assault Wednesday in Rolling Meadows.
Their four-hour deliberation followed a three-day trial during which the eight-man, four-woman jury heard testimony from the now 5-year-old victim and the 23-year-old Inverness man convicted of assaulting her last November at a Palatine YMCA pool.
Aside from slumping slightly and briefly closing his eyes, the defendant showed no emotion upon hearing the verdict, which lead prosecutor Mike Gerber greeted with a subdued response.
"The people are very satisfied that justice was done today," Gerber said.
Closing arguments commenced midmorning with Assistant State's Attorney Mike Andre describing a Saturday that began with a girl happily paddling about in a swimming pool and ended with a doctor examining her at a hospital emergency room.
"We all know water can be dangerous, but we never expect danger himself to be lurking in the water of the YMCA swimming pool," said Andre, who compared Skowron to a shark hunting his prey.
He contrasted the image of the man he called a predator with that of the girl he described as an angel, who took the longest walk of her life - from the courtroom entrance to the witness box - in order to "expose the defendant for who he is."
Defense attorney Tim Murphy asserted Skowron's innocence, claiming he was the victim of a short investigation, a long interrogation and coercive police tactics.
"Police officers can coerce a confession with just the questions they ask," he said.
Murphy reminded jurors that no eyewitnesses testified to the assault and that the physician's report indicated the girl's injuries were consistent with sexual assault but not specific, meaning they could have resulted from allergies, infection or poor hygiene.
Murphy also claimed Palatine detective Chad Erickson offering Skowron the option of saying the incident was an accident and suggested Skowron could go home if he confessed in writing.
Murphy also reminded jurors that Assistant State's Attorney Melissa Meana - not Skowron - wrote the confession Skowron signed. She did so, so that it would read exactly as she wanted it to read, Murphy said.
It all adds up to reasonable doubt, said Murphy who also described Assistant State's Attorney Mike Gerber's aggressive cross examination as an insidious attempt to trick his client.
"The assistant state's attorney tried to testify for him," said Murphy. "That kind of questioning, that kind of interrogation is not American justice. That's not how we do it."
Gerber refuted Murphy's statements about the police and scoffed at Skowron's claim that everything in his statement is true except for his confession.
"Nonsense," said Gerber adding "there's nothing in the oath you took that said leave your common sense outside the courtroom."
Jurors declined Daily Herald interview requests. However, one revealed the first vote found the jurors evenly split
Neither Skowron's family nor the victim's family commented on the verdict. Murphy also declined to comment citing pending post-trial motions and sentencing. Four sexual assault cases are pending against Skowron, who returns to the Rolling Meadows courthouse on Dec. 21 for sentencing on this case.