Crime & Safety

Nutter Murder Defendant Seeks Mental Evaluation

Benjamin Schenk gets delay of trial while will experts perform psychological examination.

Trial of the man police say pulled the trigger killing Colin Nutter in June has been delayed from Jan. 6 to March 31while defendant Benjamin Schenk gets a mental evaluation during a pretrial in Lake County Criminal Court today in Waukegan, according to a story in the Chicago Tribune.

Schenk, 20, of Highwood is one of three men accused of murdering Nutter, 20, of Highland Park in June along with Michael Coffee and Daniel Vatamoniuc, both 17, of Highland Park during a drug deal and dumping the body near the Edens Expressway in Wilmette.

Judge Victoria Rossetti granted Schenk’s request made by his attorney, James Bertucci, to allow sufficient time for a psychiatric examination and possible another evaluation by a forensic psychologist, according to the Tribune. Rossetti also approved a prosecution request to take a swab of Schenk’s DNA.

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When Schenk was charged with four counts of murder, three counts of armed robbery, two counts of possession of a stolen vehicle and one count of concealment of a homicide in June, Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim said Schenk shot Nutter while sitting behind him in Nutter’s car on a Highwood street.

Vatamoniuc, who is in the process of challenging much of the prosecution’s evidence against him, is scheduled to go on trial Tuesday. Coffee’s trial is set Jan. 6.

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