Samantha Harer Scholarship Event Nears, Glasgow Criticized By Ciolino

JOLIET, IL — Paul Ciolino, a Chicago area homicide investigation expert, author and talk radio host, has investigated the Feb. 13, 2018 gunshot death of Samantha Harer at her Channahon apartment, since the early stages of the case.

For the past five years, Ciolino has insisted that the death of Harer was not a self-inflicted gunshot wound, as the Channahon Police Department and Will-Grundy Major Crimes Task Force wanted people to believe. This past July, Ciolino received some vindication for his efforts when Will County Judge John Anderson issued a $15 million civil judgment against Phil Flores, the ex-officer on the Crest Hill Police Department who had dated Harer, age 23.

"The Court takes no position on whether Felipe ought to be charged; that is not the Court's decision to make," Anderson declared in July. "Besides, the Court is not in a position to understand why Felipe was not charged with Samantha's death, as no one from the Channahon Police Department, nor the coroner's office, nor other law enforcement authorities, testified to explain their perspective as to why Samantha's death might have been a suicide."

"That was a moral victory," Ciolino told Joliet Patch's editor earlier this week. "This lawsuit purpose wasn't to win money against Flores, either, because he has no money. It was to show everybody that this was a homicide. Where do Samantha's parents go to get justice?"

This Sunday, friends and former college classmates will host the Samantha Harer Memorial Scholarship event at the University of St. Francis. The event is from noon to 3 p.m. in the Turk Theater in Tower Hall. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Ciolino said the Harer case remains a black mark on the performance of Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow, who continues to support the theory that Harer took her own life.

Ciolino said he's troubled by Glasgow's refusal to acknowledge the overwhelming physical and forensic evidence in the Harer case that points to Flores as the killer. He said the physical and forensic evidence is stronger in the Harer case than what Glasgow used to prosecute former Bolingbrook police officer Drew Peterson for the death of third wife, Kathleen Savio.

"I can't understand what he's doing on this case," Ciolino said of Glasgow. "This evidence is there. It is one of the blackest, horrendous black marks on a State's Attorney that I can recall."

According to Ciolino, it's his belief Glasgow does not want any public perception that he is anti-law enforcement, so that's why Glasgow has refused to reopen the Harer death investigation and pursue Flores, the now former Crest Hill police, as a murder suspect.

As Patch has previously reported, Flores had a history of controlling behavior and monitoring Harer's electronic devices. There was no gunshot residue found on Harer, whose body was found nude on her bedroom floor.

The Illinois State Police forensic lab found gunshot residue on Flores' dark sweatshirt and his right hand. He also had several instances of blood spatter on his dark sweatshirt.

Also important, Ciolino said, Flores gave numerous inconsistent statements about the events surrounding Harer's death that conflicted with the death scene evidence.

Ciolino said that "judges are not stupid" and in the civil wrongful death case, "Anderson really had no choice when presented with the evidence. There was no question in his mind this girl was murdered. With regard to the evidence, it's a straight out cover up of protecting another cop."

Ciolino said that Glasgow showed another lapse in judgment by deciding to file a motion with the judge and also the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission against the Harer family's lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, a long-time friend of Ciolino.

Bonjean has said that Glasgow's complaint against her basically accused her of misleading Judge Anderson, by presenting an alternative theory as to the death of the 911 dispatcher.

"This is an attempt to silence a lawyer by filing a ridiculous complaint," Ciolino said of Glasgow. "It is a direct attempt at intimidating her, which is a huge mistake."

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

'It Was A Homicide That Should Have Never Happened:' Ciolino

Samantha Harer's 'Coward' Killer Runs From Courtroom: Bonjean

Ethics Complaint To Intimidate Me Will Backfire: Bonjean Predicts