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Retired Chicago officer denies torture
CHICAGO, (UPI) -- A retired Chicago police lieutenant facing perjury and obstruction of justice charges denies he and police colleagues tortured suspects they interrogated.
Jon Burge, 62, on trial in federal court on charges he committed perjury for denying in a 2003 civil case he ever tortured criminal suspects, repeated those denials Thursday as his lawyer summarized the accusations, the Chicago-Sun Times reported Friday.
Asked about allegations he tortured suspects in the 1970s and 1980s, the former police commander said, "No, sir, I did not."
When Burge's attorney, Marc Martin, asked him if he played a game of "Russian roulette" with armed robbery suspect Shadeed Mu'min in 1985, as Mu'min testified earlier in the week, Burge said, "I may not be a Mensa candidate, but I'm not that stupid, sir."
Five criminal subjects have claimed Burge and other Chicago police officers tortured them during questioning after arrests.
Burge was vociferous in denying he saw officers beat criminal suspects or that he laid a hand on two other accusers, Melvin Jones and Anthony Holmes, the Sun-Times reported.
CHICAGO, (UPI) -- A retired Chicago police lieutenant facing perjury and obstruction of justice charges denies he and police colleagues tortured suspects they interrogated.
Jon Burge, 62, on trial in federal court on charges he committed perjury for denying in a 2003 civil case he ever tortured criminal suspects, repeated those denials Thursday as his lawyer summarized the accusations, the Chicago-Sun Times reported Friday.
Asked about allegations he tortured suspects in the 1970s and 1980s, the former police commander said, "No, sir, I did not."
When Burge's attorney, Marc Martin, asked him if he played a game of "Russian roulette" with armed robbery suspect Shadeed Mu'min in 1985, as Mu'min testified earlier in the week, Burge said, "I may not be a Mensa candidate, but I'm not that stupid, sir."
Five criminal subjects have claimed Burge and other Chicago police officers tortured them during questioning after arrests.
Burge was vociferous in denying he saw officers beat criminal suspects or that he laid a hand on two other accusers, Melvin Jones and Anthony Holmes, the Sun-Times reported.
