Crime & Safety
Date Set to Argue Against Allowing Palos Murder Evidence
Lawyers for a teen charged with killing a Palos couple in their bedroom are trying to keep his statements and evidence from his cell phone from being used against him.
By Joseph Hosey
Lawyers defending the youngest of four pals charged with carrying out a savage murder plot got dates to try and convince the judge to keep out evidence.
Cook County Judge Neil Linehan scheduled hearings in October and November, the first on whether to suppress the contents of Mohammad Salahat's cell phone and the second to determine if the 18-year-old's statements will be barred.
"There will be a lot of witnesses" at the November date, Assistant State's Attorney Donna Norton told Judge Linehan during a hearing at the Bridgeview courthouse Monday. One of Salahat's attorneys, Joel Brodsky, said he expected five police officers to testify about the cell phone issue and that he thinks the hearing will take two hours.
Salahat was charged with murder for his alleged part in the grisly double slaying of John and Maria Granat in September 2011.
The Granats were found dead in the blood-spattered bedroom of their Palos Township home. Their killers had beaten and stabbed them to death.
Along with Salahat, the Granats' son, John Granat, 19, was charged with their murder, as were two other young men—Ehab Qasem, 21, and Christopher Wyma, 19.
Granat, Qasem and Wyma allegedly went into the house and carried out the killings while Salahat waited outside and drove them away.
Salahat allegedly received $4,000 after the murder and proceeded to spend the money at fine restaurants and on video game shopping sprees.
Granat, Qasem and Wyma are scheduled to appear in court together in October.
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