Robert Berlin, a veteran criminal prosecutor who has served in state's attorney offices in Cook, Kane and DuPage counties, will be nominated next week to replace outgoing DuPage State's Attorney Joseph Birkett, it was announced tonight.
Berlin, the current chief of criminal prosecutions in DuPage County, will have his name placed before the County Board for its consideration on Tuesday by Board Chairman Daniel Cronin.
"I am convinced that Mr. Berlin possesses the qualities that are necessary to ably and effectively serve out the remaining term of Joseph Birkett," Cronin said. "His background in criminal prosecutions, I believe, is absolutely critical to success of this office in the future. He is already well prepared to prosecute the 11 murder cases set to go to trial next year."
Berlin said tonight he was "excited" and was looking forward to working with the County Board and Cronin.
"I am absolutely happy with the current operations of the office, but I am going to look at everything and evaluate everything in the coming months and if there needs to be change, we will work on it," he said.
Berlin has handled many high-profile DuPage County cases, including the prosecutions of Eric Hanson, a Naperville man convicted of killing four family members, and Edward Tenney, a triple murderer. Both are on the state's death row. He is the lead attorney in the retrial next month of Laurence Lovejoy, an Aurora man whose death penalty conviction for the murder of his stepdaughter was overturned on an evidence issue.
"I remain in favor of the death penalty and believe of it in certain instances, where warranted," Berlin said.
Berlin, 48, of Clarendon Hills, is married and has two young daughters. He has been with the DuPage County office since 2004, after serving from 2001 to 2004 as the first assistant state's attorney in Kane County. He served in Cook County from 1987 to 2001.
Berlin, a graduate of Dickinson College in Pennsylvania and the Washington University College of Law in St. Louis, was one of seven candidates vying for the job. He will serve out the remainder of Birkett's term, which ends in 2012.
Birkett, state's attorney since 1996, is leaving the post to become an appellate judge. He will be sworn in Monday.
With Birkett vacating the office before the County Board can act on Berlin's nomination, an interim state's attorney is expected to be named Monday by Chief DuPage Judge Stephen Culliton. That person could be Berlin. If it is someone else, the person would just serve for one day if Berlin's appointment is approved Tuesday by the County Board.
A Cronin spokesman said no decision had been made about whether the interim state's attorney would be Berlin or another lawyer.
-- Art Barnum
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