Charges dropped in slaying of off-duty Chicago cop and friend

Charges dropped in slaying of off-duty Chicago cop and friend; suspect released
By Matthew Walberg | Chicago Tribune reporter
3:42 PM CDT, September 10, 2008

Cook County prosecutors dropped all charges Wednesday against a Chicago man in the slaying and robbery last month of off-duty Chicago Police Detective Robert Soto and his friend Kathryn Romberg.

Jason Austin, 26, was released from custody shortly after 3 p.m. Wednesday. Austin said nothing and drove away in a white Dodge Neon.

The Tribune reported in its Saturday editions that questions had arisen about key evidence in the case and that law enforcement sources expressed concerns that the problems made it more difficult to prove in court.

In a joint statement, Cook County State's Atty. Dick Devine and Police Supt. Jody Weis stressed that the decision "does not preclude any future charges."
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