Melissa Calusinski's long quest for a new trial in the death of a Deerfield toddler was dealt a major setback Friday, when a Lake County judge rejected a bid to reverse her conviction.
Judge Daniel Shanes, who oversaw Calusinski's trial five years ago and sentenced her to 31 years in prison, said her lawyers' claims that she didn't get a fair trial "fall apart like a house of cards." He said that nothing that was presented during three days of recent testimony in the case convinced him that new evidence exists or undermined his confidence in the verdict the trial jury reached.
"Having lost at trial, much of these claims now amount to Monday-morning quarterbacking," Shanes said.
Calusinski, who turns 30 on Tuesday, sat stoically as the judge announced his ruling in the high-profile case. Outside court, her father Paul Calusinski said he was disappointed in the outcome but not surprised. Attorneys for the Carpentersville family have vowed to press on and have already said they will appeal.
