A Cook County judge who allowed a man later accused of killing his wife to be released on electronic monitoring will no longer hear domestic violence cases, Chief Judge Timothy Evans announced Thursday.
Judge Thomas Nowinski will move to the circuit court’s third municipal district, where he will hear misdemeanors and traffic cases, a shift that the judge apparently supported.
On Oct. 9, 2024, Nowinski released Constantin Beldie, 57, on electronic monitoring after he was accused of attempting to kidnap his estranged wife. On Nov. 19, Beldie allegedly stabbed his wife, Lacramioara “Mirela” Beldie, to death in the Portage Park neighborhood on the Northwest side before he was also found dead a few blocks away.
Nowinski’s decision in Beldie’s case prompted an outcry from domestic violence advocates, who noted that he also denied an emergency protective order for the mother of 11-year-old Jayden Perkins against Crosetti Brand. Brand is accused of stabbing Jayden to death in an attack on his mother.
In an announcement accompanying the order, Evans said the move came at the request of both Nowinski and Judge Judith Rice, who supervises the court’s domestic violence division. He said Nowinski’s decision not to detain Constantin Beldie came after “an incomplete presentation by the State’s Attorney and a presentation by the defense attorney to which the state did not object.”
Mirela Beldie first filed for an order of protection in January 2024, citing an hours-long attack and a threat to take her life. According to a transcript of the Oct. 9 hearing, an assistant state’s attorney, in relaying Beldie’s background, only told the judge that Beldie had one year of supervision for a 2006 driving offense.
“That’s all by way of publishable background,” she said.
The transcript did contain references to the January incident and past order of protection, though it did not go into detail.
Evans said in his statement that Constantin Beldie violated the terms of his release the day after they were set, but the violation went unaddressed due to a GPS technician’s oversight. The technician was suspended without pay and later resigned, according to the statement.
Evans said Mirela Beldie’s death showed that authorities needed to step up protections for survivors of domestic violence and pledged that the court would work with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to make sure judges heard a defendant’s entire criminal history.
The court will also consider incorporating interviews with domestic violence survivors into its risk assessments for defendants. Evans said the court would also change its rules for people who violate electronic monitoring conditions so that they would be required to appear in court the day after an alleged violation.
Evans’ proposed changes come amid broader reforms to the county’s electronic monitoring systems, as officials work to make changes to the county’s programs in the hopes of addressing long-criticized inefficiencies. The county plans to merge parallel programs run by the court system and the Cook County sheriff under the auspices of Evans’ office.
Evans has publicly opposed this move, arguing that his programs would need significant funding increases to be run effectively if they absorb the sheriff’s program.
In Thursday’s statement, Evans said the Adult Probation Department’s Home Confinement Unit, that handles domestic violence and other cases, is “significantly understaffed.” He argued in the statement that the court needs to improve its staffing and increase its budget to correctly administer GPS monitoring, calling for 153 new staff hires and a $23.9 million funding boost.
Amanda Pyron, President and CEO of The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, said in a statement released late Thursday that her organization was glad to see Nowinski reassigned.
“We appreciate the full review of Lacramioara Beldie’s death by the Chief Judge and the commitment to strengthen protections for survivors of domestic violence,” Pyron said. “Domestic violence advocates must be part of the process as reforms are proposed and implemented in all areas of our justice system.”
Nowinski’s transfer is set to take effect Jan. 21.
