Crime & Safety

Nutter Murder Defendant Loses Motion

Statements made by Philip Vatamaniuc to police are admissible in his trial starting Jan. 6.

Statements made by Colin Nutter murder defendant Philip Vatamaniuc to police a few days after the June 3 shooting in Highwood can be used against him after Lake County Criminal Court Judge Victoria Rossetti denied his motion to suppress Monday, according to a report in the Highland Park News.

Vatamaniuc and Michael Coffee, both 17 of Highland Park, and Benjamin Schenk, 20, of Highwood are all charged with first degree murder in the slaying of Nutter. Vatamaniuc, potentially the first of the three to face trial, is scheduled to begin the process Jan. 6, according to Lake County State’s Attorney Communications Director Cynthia Trujillo-Vargas.

Robert Ritacca, Vatamaniuc’s lawyer, filed the motion months ago along with a number of others in his effort to limit the Lake County State’s Attorney’s ability to prosecute his client.

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In the statement, Vatamaniuc admits to being present when Nutter, 20, of Highland Park, was shot and claims Schenk pulled the trigger, according to the Highland Park News story. Rossetti believed the statement was given freely and voluntarily. “He was able to answer questions appropriately,” she said in the Highland Park News story.

Though Schenk is scheduled for trial March 31, he is also undergoing a mental evaluation which could have an effect on the timing and outcome.

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Schenk, Coffee and Vatamaniuc were arrested June 6 after police collected statements and other evidence after Nutter’s body was found the morning of June 4 in Wilmette.

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