Charges stand against suspect in 1982 murder

A Lake County judge refused Friday to dismiss the charges against a man accused of a 1982 murder in Round Lake Beach.

Associate Judge George Bridges said that, despite “mistakes and misconduct” in the presentation of the case against Robert Bostic to a grand jury, there was still enough evidence to send the case to trial.

Bostic, 70, is charged with first-degree murder in the June 25, 1982 shooting death of Carlton Richmond, 31, inside a Round Lake Beach garage used as a clubhouse for a motorcycle club.

Bostic, of Kingston, Tenn., was charged in the case earlier this year after Round Lake Beach police said witnesses to the shooting, who had declined to cooperate in the investigation for almost 30 years, made statements implicating Bostic.

Defense attorneys Joseph and Michael Salvi had contended Round Lake Beach detective Gary Lund told the grand jury that two witnesses said they heard Richmond say “You shot me” to Bostic as Richmond lay mortally wounded on the floor.

But John Winaday and Jeff Paradise, both of Chicago, testified at a hearing earlier this week that they had heard no such statement.

Bostic’s attorneys also challenged Lund’s characterization of the weapon that killed Richmond as a .22 caliber pistol, when in fact it was a .25 caliber pistol that fired the fatal shot.

In addition, the attorneys claimed the grand jury was misled when Lund told them Bostic had admitted shooting Richmond, but did not tell them that Bostic said the shooting was an accident. Assistant State’s Attorney Ken Larue argued the grand jury would have indicted Bostic even if the defense challenges to the evidence were upheld.

Bridges agreed, saying Bostic’s attorneys had not shown the misinformation presented to the grand jurors was sufficient to dismiss the case against Bostic.

“It is clear that there were misstatements made and Lund was asked leading questions,” Bridges said. “But it does not rise to the level of misconduct; the grand jury was not impaired and the defendant was not prejudiced.”

Bostic is held on $1.5 million bond and is scheduled to go to trial July 25.

Larue said Bostic faces a prison term of 20 to 60 years if convicted.