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CHICAGO (WLS) — Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has been on a mission to restructure her office for tougher prosecution in cases of domestic violence, something she has referred to as a “house of fire.”
Tuesday will be the first hearing that specifically targets domestic violence since 2023 and Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke is expected to announce how she’s restructuring the prosecutor’s office to increase lock ups and help fight domestic violence crimes.
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When she took office, she instituted a policy change instructing prosecutors to seek pre-trial detention for any domestic violence-related, stalking or sex offense where the offender used or possessed a weapon often referring to the story of Teone Jones, who in February was attacked and killed in front of her two young sons/
O’Neill Burke told the ABC7 I-Team in June that stories like Jones’ rocks her to her core.
“Every single time a woman has been beaten, choked, killed in front of her children, it really cuts to my heart, those are the cases that wake me up in the middle of the night.” O’Neill Burke said.
RELATED: ‘It’s a house on fire’: Top Cook County prosecutor lays out plan to address domestic violence crisis
Data reviewed by the ABC7 I-Team found domestic related homicides increased from 36 in 2019, to 44 in 2024. In June, we reported at least 29 domestic violence-related deaths in 2025.
The Cook County Board of Commissioners’ Criminal Justice Committee is hosting Tuesday’s meeting, with hopes of expanding support for survivors.
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