Lake County state's attorney candidates discuss wrongful convictions issue

Candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for Lake County state's attorney have very different ideas how to address wrongful convictions that have plagued the office in recent years.

Michael Perillo Jr., a 60-year-old attorney from Grayslake, said he would replace the current volunteer panel with senior in-house attorneys tasked to review felony cases to help prevent wrongful convictions.

His opponent, Matthew Stanton, a 54-year-old Gurnee attorney, said he would overhaul the office by seeking employee resignations, then choosing whom to retain.

The candidates are running in the March 15 primary.

The winner will face Republican incumbent Michael Nerheim in the November general election.

The comments were made in candidate questionnaires and during a Daily Herald endorsement interview.

Several high-profile cases have been overturned in Lake County in recent years. Murder cases involving Jerry Hobbs, Juan Rivera and James Edwards, and a rape case against Bennie Starks, were overturned after DNA evidence proved they were wrongfully convicted.

Last year, new evidence or DNA testing led to convictions of Angel Gonzalez and Jason Strong being overturned.

In a response on his candidate questionnaire, Stanton wrote, "I will begin by asking for everyone's resignation after which I will select the people I wish to retain."

During an endorsement interview, he said he doesn't believe the way to reduce wrongful convictions in the state's attorney's office is to continue to work with the same team members year after year.

He said his approach would be similar to a new football coach hired to turn things around.

"That football coach might come in and say, 'You know, the first day I want to see everyone's resignation on the table and I'll pick the ones I want to keep,'" he said. "I think we need to have that kind of overhaul."

In a follow-up question seeking clarification, Stanton said he wouldn't necessarily expect resignations immediately but said the approach is more about the seriousness of the situation and how he'd look at changes.

Perillo said senior in-house prosecutors would be charged with reviewing and monitoring the prosecution of serious felony matters. The panel would meet monthly to ensure appropriate, professional quality control of active cases, and review past cases as necessary.

That board would replace Nerheim's wrongful conviction review panel that started in February 2013, shortly after he was elected to his first term as state's attorney. It's made up of six volunteers and is designed to review cases to determine if there are questions about whether a convict actually committed the crime.

Perillo was critical of Stanton's approach.

"I think the best way to destroy morale in a large organization is to come in and ask for everyone's resignation," he said.

"I've run offices in the past, and my position is that it's a matter of leadership. You lead by example."