Mother of Convicted Murderer Talks with Patch
The court case ended on Tuesday, after a week of trial, with a guilty verdict. Kraybill's sentencing is set for Nov. 22.
Former Winnetka resident Dianne Lahti, 76, sat patiently outside the courtroom on Tuesday afternoon, waiting for the verdict of her son's murder trial. It could be a few days or even a few weeks, the lawyers had said. Yet in less than four hours, the jury found David Kraybill, 50, guilty of first-degree murder and of using a firearm to cause the death of a childhood friend, Joel Cacharelis, 40, also of Winnetka. In February 2003, the victim was found facedown, with seven bullet wounds to the head and three bullet wounds on the back, on Forestway Drive beside the Skokie Lagoons. Between the trial's closing statements and the jury's final verdict, Lahti sat on the bench closest to the double-doors of courtroom 206, talking with the family's …
In this Article:
John Brown
6:25 pm on Thursday, October 27, 2011
I suppose she can live out her days in denial believing David didn't kill Joel. I wonder if she can explain to Joel's mother why her son David is innocent. There was nothing good about the likes of Joel Cacharelis. That doesn't excuse the taking of his life. No matter how angry Joel made David. Over burglary proceeds. Things stolen from others. And then a life stolen. Two lives wasted. Greed. … more ›