Jailhouse Romance: Court Supervision

By Joseph Hosey

The lawyer for a man convicted of a cold-blooded Plainfield murder says he obtained a letter from the killer's girlfriend in which she blames herself for the slaying.
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The letter supposedly sent from Gabriela Escutia, 24, to the mother of Ricardo Gutierrez, also 24, goes on to say how much she loves him.

Escutia and Gutierrez are both locked up in the Will County jail. Escutia is awaiting trial on a murder charge. Gutierrez has already been found guilty but his attorneys, Jeff Tomczak and Paul Napolski, are working to get him a new trial.

Tomczak said during a hearing this week that he obtained the letter supposedly sent from Escutia to Gutierrez's mother. He provided copies to the court and to prosecutors.

Eescutia and Gutierrez allegedly shot 18-year-old Javier Barrios to death in a field off Route 59 in October 2007.

Here's what else happened in court during the week that just ended:

• A woman filed a lawsuit claiming she suffered permanent and lasting injuries when two men teamed to douse her with a bucket of ice water at a house in Bolingbrook.
• A man convicted of posting a Facebook threat to rape and kill Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow was taken to court in a "spit hood."
• Defense lawyers in the Nightmare on Hickory Street double murder case need more time to try to put me, Patch editor Joe Hosey, on the witness stand.
• A jury took two hours to find a former Joliet cop not guilty of beating a woman while on duty.
• A Rockdale woman was sentenced to eight years in prison for running over and killing a Joliet man while she was drunk.

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