Conner attorney wants new trial

BY Jon Seidel Sun-Times Media May 18, 2011 08:50PM

Conner

The defense attorney for a Steger man convicted of killing his girlfriendâs son in a drunken driving accident wants a new trial for his client on grounds that authorities have taped his phone conversations at the Will County Jail.

Attorney Jeff Tomczak said prosecutors never disclosed the recordings of phone calls to him during Cecil Connerâs trial process.

â This is a very significant discovery violation, Tomczak said Wednesday after a hearing in Will County Circuit Court.

But county sheriffâs spokesman Ken Kaupas said phone conversations have been taped at the jail since at least 2006, and signs throughout the jail indicate that calls are monitored and recorded.

Chuck Pelkie, spokesman for Stateâs Attorney James Glasgow, said prosecutors just received notice of Tomczakâs motion and have to review it before commenting.

â We're prepared to go forward with sentencing, Pelkie said.

A Will County jury found Conner, 23, guilty in February of two counts of aggravated drunken driving for causing the May 10, 2010 crash in Steger that killed his girlfriend's 5-year-old son, Michael Langford Jr.

Conner contended at trial that he was simply following orders from a Chicago Heights police officer when he attempted to drive the boy home.

Tomczak said thousands of hours of Conner's conversations were recorded, including 50 to 100 conversations between Conner and his girlfriend, Kathie LaFond.

On the night of Conner's arrest, Chicago Heights officer Chris Felicetti arrested LaFond, who was driving Conner home from a party, for driving on a suspended license. Conner's attorneys said the officer threatened to arrest Conner if he didn't drive LaFond's car home after she was arrested.

LaFond testified at trial that Conner was trashed, and a blood test determined his blood-alcohol level was 0.208, more than twice the legal limit. Felicetti told jurors that Conner seemed sober enough to drive.

Forty minutes after the traffic stop, Conner slammed the car into a tree on Steger Road near Carpenter Street, killing the boy.

A hearing on Tomczak's motion for a new trial for Conner is scheduled for Wednesday.