Happy Tuesday, Chicago. The welcome specter of a 70-degree-day is looming. Start off this spring day with these stories from WTTW News.
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Leighton Criminal Court Building (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
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A Cook County judge will decide this summer whether to overturn a conviction in one of the most notorious murders in Chicago history after hearing closing arguments on Monday.
Circuit Court Judge Adrienne Davis will decide whether there is enough evidence to uphold the conviction of Anthony Garrett in connection with the murder of 7-year-old Dantrell Davis, who was shot and killed by a sniper at Cabrini-Green in 1992 as he and his mother walked to school.
The background: Dantrell’s killing outraged the city and became a symbol of the gang violence plaguing Chicago and the Chicago’s notorious public housing. In 1992, 936 people were killed in Chicago, setting a record that still stands.
Garrett said he confessed after then-CPD Detective Richard Zuley and other detectives beat him on at least two occasions with rubber hoses and a phone book on his torso, genitals and legs, court records show. Garrett later recanted his confession.
But prosecutors argued Garrett’s alibi at the time of the shooting didn’t hold up and his claims of severe leg injuries caused by his beating while in police custody were disputed by medical experts who testified in this case.
Zuley testified during Garrett’s 1994 trial that he confessed to accidentally shooting the boy while firing at rival gang members from the 10th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
The weapon used to kill Dantrell was never found, gun powder residue was not found on Garrett’s clothing, and no one testified they saw Garrett kill the boy, court records show.
Garrett said he was not informed of his rights or given access to an attorney before he was interrogated in a small windowless room, where he was denied access to the bathroom and prevented from lying down to sleep for more than 24 hours, court records show.
Garrett was convicted and sentenced to 100 years in prison.
In 2023, the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission found that there was “sufficient, credible evidence” that Garrett was tortured by Zuley, and urged that a Cook County judge review his conviction.
That finding relied, in part, on testimony that Zuley tortured a Mauritanian man being held in a U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. A member of the U.S. Naval Reserve, Zuley was sent to Guantánamo after the terror attacks.
Judge Davis will not rule before a July 14 hearing.
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The Illinois State Capitol is pictured in Springfield. (Capitol News Illinois file photo)
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The SAFE-T Act, a sweeping criminal justice reform law passed in 2021 by Illinois Democrats, is under renewed scrutiny following the April 25 killing of Chicago police Officer John Bartholomew.
Critics are pointing to the law’s changes to the pretrial detention system as having led to the controversial decision by Cook County Judge John Lyke to allow Bartholomew’s alleged killer out on electronic monitoring, despite prior violent offenses.
Gov. JB Pritzker on April 29 said blame for the man’s release should be laid at the feet of Lyke, not the SAFE-T Act.
“In most of the cases where Republicans have complained about the SAFE-T Act, it’s actually been a bad decision by an elected judge,” Pritzker said. “A judge can make this decision — a judge should have made that decision to keep that person in jail.”
Are changes coming?
Republicans in the state House and Senate introduced identical bills April 29 that would revoke a defendant’s pretrial release if they commit a new felony offense.
State Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Mt. Vernon), a co-sponsor of the legislation, said the change would amount to a necessary tweak, not a sweeping change, to the SAFE-T Act. “This change would just say that they have to be detained if they commit another felony,” Bryant said. “… I think that’s a tweak that is not only needed, but absolutely imperative.”
State Sen. Elgie Sims Jr. (D-Chicago) said weakening judicial discretion undermines one of the law’s key goals — empowering those closest to a case to make pretrial determinations. Sims said judges have the closest access to and are most familiar with the facts of a case.
“If you are taking discretion away from the judge to make the determination, that is a significant change,” Sims said. “That is not a tweak.”
State lawmakers have until May 31 to adjust the SAFE-T Act, after which they would need to wait for the fall legislative session.
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Native plants up to 36 inches tall will be allowed in parkway gardens if an amendment to Chicago’s native garden ordinance is passed. (Jeffengeloutdoors.com / iStock)
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The moment Chicago’s native gardeners have been waiting for has arrived. The city’s Native and Pollinator Garden Registry, approved by City Council back in fall of 2021, is now open for applications.
But before a single submission has even been accepted, an amendment to the ordinance governing the registry is already in the works.
At Monday’s meeting of the Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy, members voted to approve a change to the Native and Pollinator Garden Registry that would allow plants up to 36 inches tall, versus the 10 inches in the existing ordinance. The revision to the ordinance will come up for a vote before the full City Council on May 20.
More context:
Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward), lead sponsor of the registry ordinance, said the amendment was needed to accommodate taller plants such as purple coneflower and milkweed — natives that are popular with pollinators and, in the case of milkweed, absolutely vital for the survival of the endangered monarch butterfly.
Though the ordinance establishing the registry passed City Council in fall 2021, an advisory board tasked with developing criteria for the registry as well as the application process wasn’t appointed until spring 2024.
Gardeners interested in applying for inclusion on the registry — which only applies to parkway gardens and community gardens — will have to provide: a photo of the site, a planting scheme, a maintenance plan and a list of plants. Non-native plants are acceptable only if they’re pollinator-friendly.
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More From WTTW News:
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Back in the Day: May 12, 1930 - Adler Planetarium Opens
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On this day 96 years ago, the Adler Planetarium opened to the public, rounding out a trio of museums on Chicago’s lakefront next to the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium. It was the first planetarium in the western hemisphere and was named after Sears executive Max Alder, who donated funds for its construction. Adler dedicated the site as a “classroom under the heavens” and hoped it would popularize and make accessible astronomy education for all. In 2026, the Adler Planetarium still stands tall in the city’s Museum Campus and attracts more than half a million visitors each year.
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This Week’s Staff Recommendations
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Every Tuesday, WTTW News staffers highlight their favorite things in Chicago. This week, it’s “Chicago Tonight” correspondent Joanna Hernandez on her neighborhood.
Joanna Hernandez: You’d think I’d be homebound with a 1-year-old, but this mama can’t stay home. Since giving birth, I’ve wrapped her up and headed out to all my favorite spots around the Budlong Woods neighborhood.
Luna Café: This spacious, kid-friendly coffee shop offers a delicious horchata latte and a bomb Nutella latte! I definitely have had one too many. For breakfast, try the chilaquiles (crispy corn tortilla pieces simmered in green salsa until they become soft, tender and crunchy); they are topped with crema and queso fresco and you can add steak. If you’re a mom looking to get out of the house for a bit, this is the place. 5433 N. Lincoln Ave.
Budlong Woods Public Library: This library has an entire section for the kiddos! For new moms, it’s refreshing to have spaces where you can decompress away from home while your little one plays in an environment curated just for them. My favorite part is their selection of bilingual books for children. 5630 N. Lincoln Ave.
Mekato’s Colombian Bakery: Mekato’s offers a variety of baked goods, but their empanadas are the real standout — fresh, savory and such a treat to eat. I recommend the empanadas with carne (beef) and pollo (chicken). Also try their arepa with cheese — it’s savory and sweet at the same time. 5423 N. Lincoln Ave.
Café Mas: This is a go-to spot for me and my wife. We take our baby, let her nap in the stroller, and enjoy a quiet coffee moment together. There’s a kid-friendly area, the coffee beans are really good, and the horchata latte is my favorite in the city. If you’re in the mood for some Mexican cuisine, you have to try a mollete. The open-faced sandwich is made with a bolillo roll, refried beans, melted cheese and pico de gallo. It’s filling and yummy. 2310 W. Foster Ave.
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Who is your favorite musical artist from Chicago? Tell us why.
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
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