Defendant says he punched Palatine man in self defense
The man charged with throwing the punch that claimed the life of Ryan Flannigan in Palatine last year testified Thursday that he struck Flannigan in self-defense.
Testifying at his murder trial Thursday, Michael Platt said he never intended to kill the 26-year-old Palatine man, who prosecutors say was struck about 11:30 p.m. July 18 outside Pop's Bar and Grill. According to witnesses, Flannigan fell backward, striking his head on the concrete. The Fremd High School and Western Illinois University graduate died 10 days later without regaining consciousness.
Platt testified he and his wife met friends at the bar about 8:30 p.m. that night. Among them was a double amputee who uses prosthetic legs. Platt testified a group of people across the street from the bar were "loud, obnoxious and yelling obscenities ... in the direction of the bar" at about 11:30 p.m., the same time his disabled friend was walking toward his car, which was parked in the alley behind where the group was gathered.
Platt said two men and a woman approached his friend as the man walked toward his car. He said the woman grabbed his friend's arm, prompting Platt to walk over to "mediate" because "I didn't want to see my friend get beat up or knocked down," he said.
Platt claimed the person closest to him "looked like he was going to hit me so I hit him."
That person was Flannigan, a friend of the people outside. Witnesses testified Flannigan was not involved in any disturbance or verbal altercation and, at the time he was struck, was attempting to calm the situation.
Platt, 36, denied he "blindsided" or "sucker-punched" Flannigan.
Under cross examination, Platt admitted striking Flannigan with a closed fist in what he said was a face-to-face confrontation.
"I had no idea I hurt him that badly," said Platt, who was arrested by police not long after the altercation.
Platt, who admitted to two past felony drug convictions, also said he initially lied to police, telling them "I didn't touch nobody."
Platt's wife, Erin Stemper Platt, testified she observed the woman make a "pushing motion" toward her husband's disabled friend, whom she believed "was going to get swarmed," but admitted she did not see the punch. She also admitted her husband told her later that he punched Flannigan.
Jason Bauer, former owner of Bauer's Brauhaus, a since-renamed bar and restaurant that backed up to the alley near where authorities say the attack took place, testified that his bar had a motion-sensor camera that faced "toward the alley and street, angled toward the street and Pop's." He said it was operational on the day of the fight, but Palatine police never asked to see video from the surveillance system, which stores images for two weeks.
Day four of the trial concluded with testimony by Palatine detective Anthony Boborci, whom prosecutors called to discredit defense witnesses. Boborci, one of the detectives who interviewed Platt after the attack, denied Platt told him he hit Flannigan in self-defense. Boborci also denied Platt's wife told him people from the group yelled at their disabled friend or surrounded him as he approached his car.
If convicted, Platt faces a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison. Closing arguments are scheduled for Friday in Rolling Meadows.