Waukegan man's fate now in a jury's hands

The first-degree murder case against William Pressley of Waukegan has gone to a Lake County jury.

Pressley, 29, is accused of helping two other men kill Jesus Gaytan, 26, of Waukegan, in a Gurnee parking lot Sept. 25, 2005.

Gaytan was killed after he crashed into a car carrying the three men and then sped away, starting a chase that ended about 2 a.m. in an industrial park off Delany Road.

The two other Waukegan residents charged in the crime -- Gregory McKnight, 32, and Terrance Woods, 26, -- pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and agreed to testify against Pressley.

That testimony became the main source of controversy during the three-day trial, as the prosecutors who called the men to the witness stand and Pressley's attorney attacked their tales.

Both defendants offered stories about Pressley's role in the attack that varied from their original statements to officials and seemed designed to downplay Pressley's involvement.

McKnight originally said he saw Pressley punch Gaytan at least eight times but denied ever saying that on the stand.

Woods contradicted the part of his statement in which he said all three men punched and kicked Gaytan. On the witness stand, Woods said he never saw Pressley kick the victim.

Thursday, Assistant State's Attorney Veronica O'Malley told the jury her witnesses were upset over the sentences they received -- 19 years in prison for McKnight, 18 for Woods -- and were trying to help their friend escape punishment.

"In their minds they got launched, and it is fair to say they are angry," O'Malley said. "It is clear that they tried to play games in here."

Defense attorney Thomas Briscoe of Waukegan called McKnight and Woods "flippers" who made a deal with the state in attempt to shift the blame for Gaytan's death to Pressley.

"The real killers will only have to serve half of their sentences, and they want you to send an innocent man away for a much longer time," he said. "Corey (Pressley's nickname) never laid a hand on that man."

Assistant State's Attorney Eric Kalata asked the jurors to concentrate on the parts of testimony from McKnight and Woods that matched other evidence of the crime, and set aside questions of character.

"We do not get to pick our witnesses; we have to rely on the people who were there," Kalata said. "And when you consider the actions of these three men, remember the old saying: birds of a feather flock together."