Accomplice to Murder

Anita wasn't in charge when this all went down, but as the current head of the office, she's goign to shoulder some of the blame:
  • Accused serial killer Michael Gargiulo — charged last week in a north suburban girl’s cold-case murder — could be responsible for up to 10 murders, a California homicide detective told the Chicago Sun-Times.

  • While in Los Angeles County Jail, Gargiulo allegedly told authorities that just because 10 women in those homes were killed — and his DNA was present — doesn’t mean he murdered anyone .

Anita's office goes into denial mode:
  • “In our assessment, there were no admissions made that could be used to connect and prove his involvement in other murders,” said Alvarez spokeswoman Sally Daly,
Not "We are continuing the investigation." Not "We are reviewing our records." Nope. Just "there were no admissions," and close that door before something ugly gets out.

The trouble is, the ugly part is already out there:
  • Gargiulo was a longtime suspect in Pacaccio’s murder. In 2002, Cook County sheriff’s detectives obtained a DNA sample from Gargiulo, who was living in southern California. The next year, tests confirmed his DNA was on her fingernails, officials said.

    The Cook County state’s attorney’s office didn’t think the evidence was strong enough to charge Gargiulo in Pacaccio’s slaying. At the time, prosecutors thought the DNA could have been the result of “casual contact,” according to a statement released last week by the state’s attorney’s office. He was a friend of her younger brother and frequented the Pacaccio home — and was in a car with her the day before she was stabbed 12 times, prosecutors said.

    But Pacaccio’s parents have criticized Cook County prosecutors for not charging Gargiulo in their daughter’s murder after they learned of the 2003 DNA match.

A match eight years ago. At least one murder in California, along with a previous murder and a stabbing after the match was made. And maybe a bunch of additional murders in the intervening years. Serial killers don't just stop killing after one and their "cycles" between events usually get shorter over time.

The excuses coming out of Anita's office are complete fabrication and horse crap - you mean to tell us DNA isn't enough to charge anyone, but her office has released how many inmates over the past few years based on DNA evidence. Anita's predecessor Dick Devine needs to be asked some harsh questions, too. There is at least one and maybe as many as ten dead girls' families out there who deserve explanations.