E2 Lawyers Seek Details

The four men charged with involuntary manslaughter in a 2003 nightclub stampede in Chicago have been denied a request to force prosecutors to be more specific about the crimes that took place.

Attorneys for E2 nightclub owner Dwain Kyles, alleged partner Calvin Hollins Jr., club manager Calvin Hollins III and party promoter Marco Flores asked Cook County Judge Dennis Porter December 19th to force prosecutors to detail charges, claiming a grand jury indictment is too vague and does not specify who is at fault.

Porter denied the request, ruling that prosecutors have provided facts that the men can defend. He ordered them back in court January 31st.

The tragic pepper-spray incident caused patrons to exit the club in a frenzy, resulting in a pileup at the foot of a stairwell. Twenty-one people died. A grand jury indictment said the owners knowingly packed the 240-capacity E2 with 1,200 people.

Kyles attorney R. Eugene Pincham told the press the charges against his client are racially and politically motivated, an accusation that was denied by the state attorney’s office.