Opinion ID: 2793140
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Hlinko’s Plea Agreement

Text: Hlinko’s plea agreement in the murder case was unusually generous. Hlinko first pled guilty to the probation violation based on the sale of narcotics that led to his first arrest on March 2, 1989. Without any plea agreement on that charge, he was sentenced to five years in prison. His plea to the probation violation admitted the sale of narcotics, and he faced another possible fifteen years in prison on that charge. When the State first approached Hlinko to offer a reduced prison sentence in exchange for testifying against Makiel, he refused. Ilich was then acquitted of the murder and armed robbery in a separate trial. After Ilich’s acquittal, the State went back to Hlinko and made a much more generous offer: in exchange for his testimony against Makiel, Hlinko would receive five years in prison on the pending 1 Judge Paul T. Foxgrover presided over Makiel’s trial. Shortly after the trial concluded, Judge Foxgrover was convicted of stealing fines he imposed on defendants and of forgery. See People v. Fair, 738 N.E.2d 500, 502 (Ill. 2000); accord, Terry Wilson, Foxgrover Sentenced to 6 Years for Theft and Forgery as Judge, Chicago Tribune (July 15, 1992), available at http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-07-15/news/9203030778_1_defendantssentenced-cook-county-circuit-judge (last visited April 9, 2015). Judge Fox- grover’s crimes have not been an issue in this federal habeas corpus action. 6 Nos. 13-3076 & 13-3777 narcotics charge, which would run concurrently with the five-year term on the probation violation, plus the State would drop the murder and armed robbery charges. In effect, he would face no additional punishment on the narcotics charge or for the murder and armed robbery. This time, Hlinko accepted the deal.