Illinois governor's race: Aurora mayor accuses Pritzker of being soft on crime
AURORA, Ill. - Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin is looking beyond his four foes in June’s Republican primary for governor.
Mayor Irvin is accusing incumbent JB Pritzker of being soft on crime, pointing specifically to the Democratic governor's decision to free two prisoners who had killed young children.
"He’s paroled people early. Matter of fact, he paroled a woman early who got out and shot her 2-year-old son in the back of the head and killed him. He paroled a man early that beat his 6-year-old child to death," Irvin said.
Downstater Kwayera Jackson beat his 5-month-old son to death in 1998, later telling a court he considered it "strength training" for the child.
Alma Durr, of Calumet City, shot her 21-month-old son with a .357 revolver, later blaming "stress."
A spokeswoman for the governor said Pritzker follows closely the recommendations of the state prisoner review board, which remain confidential. Her written statements said:
"Alma Durr served 24 years … both prosecutors and her adult daughter supported her clemency petition."
"Kwayera Jackson served 21 years. According to publicly available files, he was 18-years-old at the time of the crime and had no criminal history."
A spokeswoman for Gov. Pritzker's campaign said it is Irvin, in his private law practice, who has attempted to free notorious criminals accused of offenses such as domestic abuse and drug dealing.
Irvin's campaign responded: "Every defendant is entitled to a vigorous attorney's defense."
ILLINOIS GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION: AURORA MAYOR RICHARD IRVIN TALKS CRIME, ABORTION