CHICAGO _ A Cook County judge set sentencing Friday for former Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke on Jan. 18 after rejecting his bid for a new trial.
His sentencing will come 3 { months after a jury returned its historic verdict, convicting Van Dyke of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery in the on-duty shooting of Laquan McDonald.
What sentence Van Dyke faces is uncertain, but an aggravated battery conviction carries a sentence of six to 30 years in prison. He could also face four to 20 years in prison for the second-degree murder conviction, but Judge Vincent Gaughan could also impose probation.
Van Dyke returned to court for only the second time since his conviction wearing a canary-yellow jail uniform and a scruffy beard, looking tired and slimmer after more than two months in custody since his historic conviction.
Van Dyke, his hands clasped together, sat at the defense table as lawyers on both sides argued at length over a defense attempt to win a new trial against long odds. Gaughan denied the motions.
Two uniformed, armed members of the sheriff's emergency response team _ brought in to supplement security for high-risk or high-profile defendants _ stood watch near Van Dyke.
During breaks in the arguments, Van Dyke looked toward the courtroom gallery to try to catch the attention of family members in attendance.
Van Dyke, 40, has been held in isolation at a Quad Cities-area jail since his Oct. 5 conviction.
The verdict made him the first Chicago cop in half a century to be convicted of murder in an on-duty incident.
Police dashboard camera video showed the white officer opening fire within seconds of exiting his squad car as the black teen walked away from police with a knife in his hand, contradicting reports from officers at the scene that McDonald had threatened officers with the weapon. McDonald was shot 16 times.
