Bond was set at $350,000 Thursday for Andrew Fort, brother of reputed South Side gang leader Jeff Fort, despite heated arguments by prosecutors that he should be held without bond.
Andrew Fort, 27, who gave his address as 5220 S. Drexel Ave., is charged with the murder of Robert ”Dog” Jackson, 35, on April 27, 1985.
After the killing, ”numerous attempts were made to arrest Mr. Fort,”
said Randy Rueckert, an assistant state`s attorney who argued in Cook County Criminal Court that Fort be held without bond. ”There`s no question Mr. Fort knew the arrest warrant was outstanding.”
Rueckert said Fort reportedly had left the state to avoid police and asked Judge Francis Gembala to order Fort held to ”assure his appearance in court.”
Margaret Stanton, another assistant state`s attorney, argued that Fort be held because he was ”a danger to the community.”
But Fort`s lawyer, Charles Murphy, said his client was presumed innocent until proven guilty. He said Fort had not been in trouble during the 10 months he was at large and that there is ”nothing in his background that would constitute a danger to society.”
The slaying of Jackson allegedly was one of three street gang shootings last April that involved disputes over drug territory, Rueckert said.
