The judge who's handling a homicide case involving the nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley has contributed more than $1,000 to the re-election campaign of State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, according to a report.
Alvarez is fighting a request to appoint a special prosecutor in the case of Daley nephew Richard Vanecko. The family of David Koschman has long claimed that a punch from Vanecko on a Chicago street led to Koschman's death in 2004.
The judge who will make the decision about the special prosecutor is Michael Toomin. According to records gathered by the Chicago Sun-Times, Toomin contributed to Alvarez four times and has attended campaign fund-raisers for her.
But Toomin told the Sun-Times that his contributions won't affect his decision on whether a special prosecutor is appointed in the Koschman case.
An Alvarez spokeswoman told the Sun-Times that to imply a judge's contribution would influence judicial conduct is "absurd."
Attorneys for the Koschman family have suggested Vanecko was never charged with a crime because of his connections to the mayor's family.
Alvarez has said she thinks the case was handled properly and that no criminal charges are warranted.
