Alleged shooter in 2011 Chicago cop killing seeks new judge to rule on motion for a new trial

Officer Clifton Lewis was moonlighting as a security guard at an Austin convenience store to save money for his wedding when he was gunned down in 2011 during a robbery. (Sun-Times (file))

A month after prosecutors dropped charges against his two co-defendants in the 2011 slaying of Chicago Police Officer Clifton Lewis, a man found guilty of fatally shooting the veteran officer has asked for a new judge to handle his bid for a new trial.

Lawyers arguing post-trial motions for Alexander Villa, who is awaiting sentencing more than three years after he was found guilty in Lewis’ murder, allege that Judge James Linn has been pressuring them to close out the case ahead of Linn’s retirement next month, and that the judge is ignoring evidence that prosecutors and police withheld key evidence from Villa’s trial attorneys.