Also, Tomczak alleged during Kevin's initial hearing that "the autopsy report indicated [Riley] was alive and struggling when placed in the water." It had all happened so quickly-had seemed to make so much sense in the moment. Among those in attendance, unobtrusive but noticeable, were two men holding video cameras. As for the long-awaited DNA evidence originally taken from Riley, the news was not good for Kevin. He joined the network in 2014. ", And yet, "I'm sitting there thinking there's videotape of the car," she says. Spend a night with my wife and son," Kevin Fox said after being released. According to a statement he later gave police, he picked the kids up and drove them home at around 1 a.m. Then, too tired to make up their beds, he laid them down in the living room-Riley on the couch and Tyler on a chair with a footstool. His lawyer, Kathleen Zellner, says that when she asked to see the handwritten notes from which the summary was drawn, Will County authorities told her that they were gone. Dimitre Dimitrov, 64, allegedly killed his wife, MaryAnn Dimitrov, and himself at the Holly Tree Racquet Club in Wilmington last Tuesday evening. "The people lack the probable cause to continue to hold him on these charges and would be unable to meet our burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt." Twitter Lhamo. According to the sheriff's summary of the interrogation, when Curt Fox told the detectives that he wanted them to stop questioning his son, Swearengen replied, "Kevin is 27 years old and he came to the investigation office voluntarily." ." . As for the murder of Riley, "You did it," the lawsuit quotes Williams as saying. Suddenly, she says, Ed Hayes "got right in my face. Her mouth had been covered with duct tape, and adhesive residue on her arms led authorities to surmise she had been bound. "When I saw the pictures . Find a suspect, any suspect, abd mail him/ her. Her husband, Kevin, stayed home with her son, Tyler and her three-year-old daughter, Riley. Kevin Fox in Illinois We found 15 records for Kevin Fox in undefined. Within moments, Swearengen appeared and led her into an adjoining room. "You don't have much time," Hayes warned. "I felt like I had nothing to hide," he says, and he worried that hiring an attorney might make him look guilty. "I finally kicked the door really hard," she says. "He watched everybody search for his child the whole day," one woman, a ten-year resident of Wilmington, told the Chicago Sun-Times. Almost immediately after his arrest, Kevin and Melissa brought this multi-count, multi-party lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. She initially hired Ernie Rizzo, the big, blustery, and controversial private eye. Around 2:15, he went to the bathroom and swung the door open quickly, striking Riley and knocking her down. The case has set in motion a series of events that bitterly divided what had been a neighborly town; cast a shadow of suspicion over a tight-knit, well-respected family; and raised questions about whether justice was forsaken for personal and political ambitions. Some expressed bitter feelings of betrayal to reporters. "Let the little children come to me," said the Rev. It's your turn to follow in my footsteps.". A tip came in claiming that video surveillance cameras at the town's Mobil station might have captured a car like that at four in the morning of Riley's disappearance. When you see your daughter dead, with dirt and mud on her face . The story seemed preposterous. The FBI would be returning the DNA evidence within a week, he said. "We put all our faith in them. But if he could get out on bond, he could straighten this mess out. Mar 2020 - Present3 years. Seventeen years ago, Zellner's client, Kevin Fox, was wrongly arrested and charged with killing his little girl. In fact, a day after the election, an order had come from the Will County Sheriff's Office halting any testing of DNA evidence in the Riley Fox murder. It put stress on the couple, and soon, they separated with Melissa moving out with both children. Suddenly, at about three that afternoon, police jumped in their cars and sped off. Unfortunately, however, their world turned upside down on the fateful date of June 6, 2004. However, there are no details about his exact age and birth year. He quit school and the two moved in together. The interrogation and arrest of Fox, the suit alleges, was part of a last-ditch effort by Tomczak to win re-election. Delaware State Police have arrested 26-year-old Damiean Turner of East New Market, Maryland, for firearm and traffic-related offenses. "Riley is in the room with you right now," the lawsuit quotes Guilfoyle as saying. With the possibility of a trial, Zellner began to reinvestigate the case. she quotes him as saying. As the day wore on, local merchants pitched in with food and pop. Five months after three-year-old Riley Fox of Wilmington was brutally murdered, her father, Kevin, confessed following a long night with Will County detectives. I hated that, but I had no idea what to believe. No sign of her. . "Isn't that your niece?" I don't even know how to describe it. Par for the course. 28, 2008. The lab had found a man's saliva-just enough to extract a full DNA profile. But as the summer wore on, they came to believe that the investigation was dragging. Later that same afternoon, detective Michael Guilfoyle took Tyler to the Fox family's home. Great article. The next day, Kevin Fox's DNA was compared with the sample. On 27 October 2004, investigators from the Will County, Illinois Sheriff's Office coerced a false confession from Kevin Fox to the sexual molestation and murder of his four-year-old daughter following a polygraph "test" administered by polygrapher Richard Williams. Yet, despite the overwhelming implication of guilt produced by the hearing, a number of troubling questions lurked within the prosecutor's case. (Will County investigators refuse comment on the quality of the videotape. In hindsight, the couple believe that either the police "were just completely overwhelmed by the fact that there was a murder in Wilmington and they had no idea what to do," Melissa says, "-or they were watching to see how we would react." Trying not to panic, Kevin searched the house. As for sexual abuse, "I'm not a stupid person," Melissa says. Pluth starts off with basic questions about where Tyler lives and what kind of sports he likes. Chad Fox took the lead, assuming the role of family spokesman and coordinating other family interviews, including an unequivocal expression of support by Melissa. You'll serve half. "Your family doesn't love you," he shouted. NewsBreak provides latest and breaking Wilmington, IL local news, weather forecast, crime and safety reports, traffic updates, event notices, sports, entertainment, local life and other items of interest in the community and nearby towns. ", Today, Zellner says that what impressed her was Kevin's immediate denial of the crime. "If you saw one, generally the other was right behind," Curt Fox says. "People would walk by my cell and sit in front and look at me," he says. ), The detectives then took Kevin back to the interrogation room and resumed the questioning, according to the lawsuit. Guilfoyle reported that Tyler claimed he stood in the kitchen and saw his father using the clothes dryer after he returned. Then, on June 7th, came the answer. In the weeks that followed, Melissa and Kevin found the investigators to be supportive, even friendly. Kevin, after all, had been the last person known to have seen Riley alive. 82/55F. The resident's face was blocked out, but the message clear: the anonymous source clearly spoke for most everyone in Wilmington, and most everyone in Wilmington believed Kevin Fox was guilty of murdering his daughter. "My niece was kidnapped and murdered from her own home," he said, "-no answers from the cops for months, a deliberate railroading of my brother, my family nearly falls apart because of the sadness and stress, the terrible perception by the public of us defending Kevin. Like their father before them, Kevin and his older brother, Chad, were born here, rode their bikes here, fished here and graduated from the town's only high school. "Todd, what the hell! Shameful how Politics, selfishness, and greed were more important. A copy of the tape has not been released to the public, but Zellner has viewed it and she claims Kevin's manner is vague and halting. "We know you killed your daughter," they said, according to the suit. A statement by Kevin himself saying he had been tricked into confessing was posted on a Web site three days after the interrogation. Menu. Zellner insists that there was exculpatory evidence-in the so-called rape kits with material taken from Riley. Kevin was shocked beyond words when the police recovered Rileys body but tried his best to assist in the investigation. (Today, Fox's legal team says that the results were at best unreliable.) As they had wanted to do all along, the family began to offer a reward, for $20,000. Find a suspect, any suspect, and nail him/her. "For some reason," she says, "I had this terrible feeling that I was never going to see her again.". ", By now, Melissa's brother had arrived at the jail, as had Kevin's father. Who would admit to such horrible things if he hadn't really done them? She phoned a forensic scientist, who explained what that meant: the state crime lab simply didn't have the sophisticated capabilities that would be needed to test properly for the substance. "Everything's going to be OK," she told him. They agreed to tell their story to Chicago, they say, in hopes of calling attention to the injustices they believe they have suffered and to breathe new life into an investigation that, even authorities admit, has not yielded any promising leads for months. Zellner says she also was struck by the unwavering belief in Kevin's innocence by the family, particularly Melissa. The Rossi family had moved to Wilmington when Melissa was in the third grade. Already, the shocking news had been splashed across the front of every local newspaper-Fox was being charged with an unspeakable crime, murdering his three-year-old daughter. A federal jury awarded Fox and his wife, Melissa, $15.5 million for false arrest and. After three hours alone, Melissa grew furious. . Judge James Carroll Fox, 90, of Wilmington, NC, passed away March 23 rd at home surrounded by his loving wife and family. I looked at him square in the eyes the whole time, and I knew my brother was not lying to me. Phone: (910) 343-3900. . Visitation Friday, March 28th, 3 to 9 p.m. Funeral Saturday, 9:45 a.m., to St. Symphorosa Church. but we firmly believe, and the sheriff firmly believes, that [the detectives] did a good job . He then ran next door, where Riley's best friend lived. I made you drive me around when you got your license. Respect! Once, he nods. Not fair! He struggles to catch his breath between sobs. If you say it was an accident, it's involuntary manslaughter with a three to five year sentence. But we feel closer to her when we go there. All told, Kevin was interrogated that night for more than 14 hours; only 20 minutes were taped. . Subscribe for free today! According to the summary, Kevin thought of driving to his mother-in-law's house, or perhaps taking Riley to the hospital. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. "He kept saying, The DNA will clear me,'" Chad says. The few clues that might have pointed to other suspects were either discounted or ignored. Kevin worked as a union painter to earn a living, while Melissa got a job as a waitress. On the outside, the stress of trying to free Kevin weighed heavily on the Fox family, especially Chad. 2 bds; 1 ba; 1,000 sqft - Active. Most important, Kevin says, he trusted the detectives' motives. "Rape kits"-samples of DNA collected from Riley's body-were sent to the Illinois State Police crime lab for analysis. Next. Maryland Man Arrested After Crashing Stolen Vehicle. Very sad. At a hearing on January 28, 2005, Will County prosecutors turned over several police reports to Zellner and her defense team. Hayes made Kevin watch as he filled out an arrest sheet for first-degree murder. But now that I have a wonderful wife, and the two most beautiful children in the world, you get to finally follow me and make a family. Mark M. Strothmann, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Wilmington, quoting Mark 10:14. His blotchy face shines with tears. This gruesome detail helped form the basis for the death penalty charge. "I was raised with the idea that authorities were good people and that they should be respected.". More than six months later, DCFS reported finding no evidence to support the allegation. Heartwarming that Kevins wife, brother, family, and Ms. Zelner stood by his side. For a long time, the family could not bear to look at photos of Chad's wedding, of Kevin in his tuxedo with the single red rose, of Riley and Tyler sleeping under the table. Next. "You're overcome by grief. Why did Kevin call the nonemergency line instead of 911 the morning of Riley's disappearance? The state's attorney, a heavyset man named Jeffery Tomczak, swept into the room, shaking hands and nodding toward a line of police officers who stood stone-faced and imposing near a cadre of assistant prosecutors arrayed around the prosecution table. I said, What are you talking about?'" Kevin Corke currently serves as an FNC correspondent based in Washington, DC. In that summer of Riley's disappearance, the men were again locked in a tight race against each other in a campaign that, the Chicago Tribune said, "was bound to get ugly" given the men's history. "When I reached out to Kevin and said, I believe you,' I think they got pissed." What did he want to do on his first night out, he was asked. When Judge Dan Rozak dismissed the case, the courtroom exploded into applause and cheering. Eighteen of those children were stolen from the home. Since the prelude to Kevin's confession was not videotaped-a law requiring interrogations be videotaped would not go into effect for several more months-the purported promise pits detectives' word against Kevin's. Finally, after more than an hour of interrogation, Pluth reaches for a box of tissues and thrusts it at Tyler. The two had clashed on nearly everything, from elections to court cases to ethical conduct. Wilmington, Illinois, just south of Joliet, stands amid the vast cornfields and high grass prairies of the Kankakee River valley, a little more than 50 miles southwest of Chicago. "They'd come back with their legs scratched up and bleeding," recalls Kevin. A Chicago news show had even aired a resident of Wilmington relating the town gossip. You don't need your father.'". Sensing his shyness, she took matters into her own hands. When pressed about the car, Kevin recalls, he became exasperated and suggested sarcastically that someone must have snuck into his house, stolen his keys, taken the car, and returned it later. When the bag was thrown from the bridge, however, it twice floated to the spot where the body had been found. He planned to drive the kids to Chicago in the morning to catch Melissa at the finish line. An autopsy would later reveal that the girl had been sexually abused and probably died from drowning. Only once, in fact, had the little girl wandered away from the small ranch house-that time, to play with a friend. ", Shortly after the bond hearing, Tomczak, Will County Sheriff Paul Kaupas, and other authorities held a press conference outside the Wilmington police station. The sheriff's summary report portrays Melissa as expressing doubts about her husband's innocence. Corke is a Harvard University Kennedy School of Government graduate and was recognized as a Littauer Fellow for his devotion to public service, leadership, and academic achievement. The couple announced the birth of their son via social media to their friends and followers. (Tomczak later accused Kevin of lying during his confession-concocting the story of the bathroom door to hide his guilt in molesting Riley.) The family will receive friends for a memorial visitation on Saturday, March 4, 2023 at Baskerville Funeral Home, 700 E. Kahler Rd., in Wilmington from 12 p.m. until the time of memorial service at 4 p.m. Roger will be laid to rest at Mt. The Foxes owned a dark blue Ford Escape. Dressed in a tuxedo-dapper but slightly self-conscious-Kevin Fox took his place at the wedding altar inside Holy Name Cathedral, awestruck by the majesty that surrounded him: the light slanting through the stained glass windows, the arches soaring up to gilt ceilings, the bas-relief of Abraham offering to sacrifice his child. Kevin told police that Riley was wearing a white T-shirt with a pink flamingo on it and pink capri pants. "Something didn't feel right," Chad recalls. He recalled that his father "took Riley somewhere" during the night. Zellner also re-examined the bathroom door that had supposedly hit Riley. "We think you know more than you're telling us," Kevin says the detective told him. "It's all right to say you did it." Then, after calling his estranged wife to tell her about the shootings, he turned his gun on himself and . Even though the court paid Kevin and his wife $15.5 million (later reduced to $8.5 million) as compensation for the ordeal, Kevin said he could never recover his reputation in the town. They describe a codified series of emotional and intellectual manipulations designed to break down even the strongest of personalities. As Glasgow spoke, Kevin began to weep. He would eventually become such a fixture that the family would refer to him simply as "Scott.". he recalls saying. "No." The detective surmised that Kevin had applied the duct tape and committed the sexual assault to make it look as if the little girl had been kidnapped. That night, Kevin drove to Chicago, too, to attend a concert with a friend and one of Melissa's brothers. He admitted placing her on the bank of the river, under the water. It is owned by American Spirit Media, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Gray Television, owner of NBC affiliate WECT (channel 6), for the provision of certain services. The answer is: far too many people. Facebook gives people the power to share. Kevin Wayne Fox, 52, of Bunker Hill, WV, passed away December 18, 2020. Wilmington, IL Baskerville Funeral Home - Wilmington Friday, February 17, 2023 Add Photos Add a Memory MICHAEL R. JOHNSTONE Age 59 of Wilmington, formerly of West Chicago, Illinois, passed. she thought. Tomczak wrapped up the hearing by asking for a $25-million bond, a request that drew gasps from the gallery. He had been undergoing questioning for nearly 12 hours. The complaint accuses them of conducting a sloppy investigation that, from the start, focused almost exclusively on Kevin Fox and ignored any evidence that might have cast doubt on his guilt. "We didn't want to turn it into another JonBenet Ramsey case. "He was crying," she recalls. For the first time publicly, Kevin and his wife, Melissa, talk about their ordeal, an account of pain, mystery, and undying faith, wrapped around an enduring tragedy Five months after. 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