Hefty Promotion of Cop in Koschman Probe 'A Slap in the Face,' Family Attorney Says

David Koschman, 21, of Mt. Propsect, who died of head injuries from a single punch by Richard M. Daley nephew, Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko.

A high-ranking, veteran cop currently under investigation for his alleged role in a coverup that prevented former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s nephew from being prosecuted in the death of a Mt. Prospect man, has received a hefty department promotion.

Area North Deputy Chief of Patrol Constantine Andrews was among three top appointments announced by Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy on Monday. Andrews was promoted to Chief of the Bureau of Detectives.

Andrews was the Deputy Chief of Detectives when he was put in charge of the reopened investigation into the 2004 death of David Koschman, a 21-year-old Mt. Prospect man who died after he was punched by punched by Daley nephew Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko outside a Division Street bar.

Andrews closed the investigation without pressing any charges after the unsolved homicide case was reopened in 2011, claiming that Vanecko had acted in self-defense when he punched the smaller Koschman after an alleged run-in outside a Division Street bar.

Koschman died days later from injuries he suffered from the single punch that caused him to fall and hit his head on the pavement, never to regain consciousness.

Former U.S. Attorney Dan K. Webb was appointed as special prosecutor to lead another investigation into the unsolved homicide, and the authorities who handled the case in 2012, after a series of Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Vanecko eventually pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2014, and was sentenced to serve 60 days in jail.

Cook County Judge Michael Toomin ruled that police and prosecutors “conjured up” a fictitious witness statement saying that Vanecko, a former college football player, acted in self-defense when he felled the smaller Koschman with a single punch.

Webb later concluded that there wasn’t enough evidence to convict Andrews and five other cops on obstruction of justice charges. Andrews remains under investigation by the Chicago Inspector General’s office.

Andrews’ promotion sparked anger in an attorney for David Koschman’s mother, Nanci Koschman, who fought for years to have the investigation into her only child’s death reopened.

“This is a complete disgrace, a slap in the face not only to Mrs. Koschman, but also to all citizens of the city of Chicago who believe that the police department should stand for justice rather than corruption,” Koschman attorney G. Flint Taylor told the Sun-Times.