Special Hearing in Frankfort Cop's Felony Battery Case Derailed By 'Medical Matter'

A special hearing to determine whether surprise, secret evidence can be used against a Frankfort cop charged with beating his girlfriend was postponed less than 24 hours after it was scheduled.

The Wednesday afternoon hearing was called off because "Judge (Edward) Burmila has to deal with a family medical matter," an official said.

The hearing in the felony case against Frankfort Police Officer Donald Walsh was rescheduled for Tuesday.

Walsh, 30, faces charges of aggravated domestic battery and domestic battery. His trial started Nov. 21 and was scheduled to resume six days later. But on that day special prosecutor Dave Neal revealed that he discovered new evidence and Judge Burmila ruled a special hearing was needed to determine whether it was admissible.

Neal described the new evidence as statements made by Walsh. Burmila said the statements will be kept under wraps until he makes his ruling.

Walsh was arrested in July 2012 for allegedly beating his girlfriend, Jillian Fredericks, in her Mokena home. Neal accused Walsh of showing up uninvited at Frederick's bedside after he had been out drinking, waking her and demanding the pass code to her cell phone.

When Fredericks refused to give up the code Walsh threatened her, then butted her with his head, punched her in the face and in the back of the head, and choked her, Neal said.

In defense attorney Steven Haney's version of the same episode, Walsh climbed into bed with Fredericks and she began questioning him about another woman before clawing his face and "uncontrollably screaming at him."

Haney said Fredericks lied to the police about Walsh showing up in the middle of the night without her permission because she was "in the middle of a heated, contested divorce battle" and a court order forbade her from allowing Walsh around her son and daughter.

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