CHICAGO (WLS) — Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has been actively working to overhaul her department to ensure tougher legal actions in domestic violence cases, which she describes as a “house of fire.”
This Tuesday marks the first hearing dedicated exclusively to domestic violence since 2023. During this event, Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke plans to present her strategy for reorganizing the prosecutor’s office to enhance arrests and combat domestic violence offenses more effectively.
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After assuming office, she initiated a new policy asking prosecutors to pursue pre-trial detention for any cases related to domestic violence, stalking, or sex crimes where the perpetrator used or carried a weapon. She often highlights the tragic case of Teone Jones, who was assaulted and killed in February in front of her two young sons, to underline the urgency of these measures.
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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