Trial Date Set for Natasha McShane's Accused Assailants

A trial date for two accused of brutally beating a foreign-exchange student and her friend in Bucktown was finally set Monday, just one day shy of the horrific event's third anniversary.

Northern Ireland woman Natasha McShane, now 26, and friend Stacy Starl Jurich were attacked in the 1800 block of North Damen Avenue on April 23, 2010 by a man wielding a baseball bat. Those accused of the crime will go to trial Sept. 9, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The incident spurred a wave of grief throughout the North Side as well as several fundraising efforts.

McShane, who was in a coma and placed on a ventilator following the attack, remains in a wheelchair. She is unable to speak.

The Chicago Tribune announced the trial date Monday for Heriberto Viramontes, 34, and Marcy Cruz, 28. They are charged with 25 felony counts each including attempted murder and robbery. 

"The alleged assailants had come to Bucktown with the intention of robbing someone because Viramontes needed quick money and drugs, and Cruz allegedly suggested targeting the 'drunk a**holes coming out of the bar,' prosecutors said after the defendants were charged," according to CBS Chicago.

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The Tribune's story references a reaction from McShane's family in Northern Ireland.

"'I know it will bring back memories that I don't want to remember,' said McShane's father, Liam, speaking by phone from Silverbridge, County Armagh," the story says. "'It's going to have to come someday, isn't it? It'll be good to have it over and done with.'"

Proceedings have been delayed due to evidence and DNA collection, police have said. Cruz and Viramontes remain in jail.

"At Monday's hearing, Viramontes pressed two fingers to his lips and blew a kiss to his relatives in the gallery, who smiled and waved," the Tribune story says. "Cruz, looking small and frail, nodded solemnly to her father, Edwin Cruz, who sat and watched the proceedings."

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