Joliet Teacher's Murder: Michael Kazecki Goes 8 Years Without Standing Trial, Judge Considers Another Delay

JOLIET, IL — When it comes to avoiding having his Joliet first-degree murder case tried in front of a Will County jury of his peers, former Joliet District 86 teacher Michael Kazecki has just made it eight entire years.

Although Joliet police detectives immediately arrested Kazecki in August 2018 in connection with the death of his wife, Becky, at their home in the 700 block of McDonough Street, Michael Kazecki managed to regain his freedom after being kept inside the Will County Jail for only three weeks.

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In 2018, under the state's now-abolished cash bail system, the Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow argued that a $5 million bail was needed against Kazecki. However, one of the Republican judges, Ben Braun of Frankfort, disagreed and sided with Kazecki's defense lawyer, Nathaniel Tate, and set the bail at $2 million.

Kazecki's family quickly posted necessary the necessary 10 percent bond, $200,000, to bail their son out of Will County's Jail, despite him facing first-degree murder charges. Michael Kazecki then left Joliet to reside at his mother's home in suburban Oak Lawn, and he has remained free and living there ever since—for eight years now.

Glasgow's Office Seeks Delay In September Murder Trial

Now, with Michael Kazecki's murder trial less than one month away, the Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow filed a motion last week asking Judge Amy Christiansen to consider imposing another delay for the former District 86 teacher's jury trial.

This week, Judge Christiansen took up the prosecution's motion and will render her decision on Friday. Assistant State's Attorney Erin Krone's motion indicates that one of the state's hired expert witnesses will not be able to finish their analytical work until the end of August, and "the analysis of the State's retained expert is essential to the State's ability to prosecute the case."

As it stands, Will County prosecutors have charged Kazecki with three counts of first-degree murder, one aggravated domestic battery and one domestic battery.

Kazecki Trial Was Already Supposed To Happen In June

Early last October, for the first time, Judge Christiansen put Michael Kazecki's case on her docket listing July 13 as the start for his jury trial.

Then, on June 10, prosecutor Ashley Kwasneski, along with Michael Kazecki and Tate, his lawyer, appeared in Courtroom 402 in regard to the trial's status. After hearing from both sides, Judge Christiansen removed the July 13 trial date from her calendar and reset the trial to Sept. 8—which is now just four weeks away.

Joliet Patch Chronicles Michael Kazecki's Trial Delay Strategy Tactics

Last October, in another Will County Courthouse exclusive, Joliet Patch produced an in-depth story headlined, "Joliet Murder Defendant Who Has Avoided Standing Trial Loses Latest 'Irrelevant' Motion: Judge."

The article reported that, "For more than seven years now, Michael Kazecki, the ex-Joliet Public School District 86 teacher at Washington Junior High School, has remained successful at making sure that his murder case does not go to trial at the Will County Courthouse."

According to court files, Joliet Patch revealed last fall that one of the main reasons the murder case of Becky Kazecki has dragged on for over seven years was because Michael Kazecki and his lawyer Tate have deployed a legal strategy of filing irrelevant motions with the judge.

By doing so, some of their motions often take several months—if not years—before the judge hears all the evidence and is able to issue a ruling.

For the first several years, the murder case was handled by Republican Judge Dan Rippy. During the past two years, Amy Christiansen, a former Will County Public Defender and a Democrat in the upcoming November elections, has taken over Courtroom 402, including Kazecki's case.

In last October's in-depth exclusive, Joliet Patch reported that Judge Christiansen just dealt Kazecki and Tate a legal setback by concluding that their latest pretrial motion had no legal merit whatsoever.

"It has not been proven that any videos that might or might not have existed outside of the interrogation room and in the lobby of the Joliet Police Department in August of 2018 would contain any audio," Judge Christiansen ruled last week. "Any conversations between Detective (Dave) Jackson and Sergeant (Scott) Nicodemus regarding Mr. Tate's representation of the defendant is irrelevant," Judge Christiansen declared.

The judge's ruling also noted, "The only relevant issue regarding Mr. Tate's representation of the defendant is the conversation between Detective Jackson and the defendant inside of the interrogation room, which was captured on video and has already been ruled upon."

In 2018, Dave Jackson was praised by his Joliet Police Department for having a critical role in making the arrest of Washington Junior High teacher Michael Kazecki after the Aug. 7 death of the teacher's 38-year-old wife, Becky.

Related Joliet Patch coverage of Michael Kazecki's murder case:

Joliet Murder Defendant Michael Kazecki Remains Free, No Trial Date After 7 Years

District 86 Teacher's Murder: Michael Kazecki Loses Pretrial Motion

Joliet Teacher's Homicide: Did Police Violate Husband's Rights?