Michael Kazecki Wants His Murder Trial Delayed To Next May, Judge Amy Christiansen Won't Allow That

JOLIET, IL — In a small victory for the Will County State's Attorney's Office, Will County Judge Amy Christiansen has agreed to delay former Joliet Public School teacher Michael Kazecki's first-degree murder trial because one of the prosecution's expert witnesses won't be finished with their analysis in time for the early September trial date.

On Friday morning, Judge Christiansen agreed to move the Kazecki trial to start on Oct. 5.

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According to the Will County Courthouse, Erin Krone represented the prosecution and Kazecki drove himself to the courthouse from suburban Oak Lawn. In Courtroom 402, he met up with his downtown Joliet lawyer, Nathaniel Tate.

The defense's motion to continue his first-degree murder trial to May of 2027 was denied, court records indicated. The State's motion to continue was granted with no objection from the defense, the court records show. The case was continued for status on discovery to August 21 and for jury trial on October 5,2026 at 9:30 a.m.

"No further continuances shall be granted without good cause shown," Judge Christiansen declared.

Joliet Patch has been the only news outlet in Illinois to thoroughly cover the Michael Kazecki murder case.

Earlier this week, Patch reported that 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.

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 Will County's 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.