Ex-Joliet teacher’s first-degree murder case given new trial date

A 2018 murder case filed against a former Joliet teacher was given a new and more distant trial date of July 14, 2025.

For the past six years, Michael Kazecki, 44, of Oak Lawn, has been facing a first-degree murder charge alleging that he killed his wife, Rebecca Kazecki, 38, by physically striking her to death.

The Kazeckis worked as teachers for Joliet Public Schools District 86. Michael Kazecki’s employment with the district was terminated Feb. 5, 2020.

At the time of Kazecki’s 2018 arrest, former Joliet Police Chief Al Roechner said Kazecki’s alleged fatal attack was the last in a string of beatings carried out over the course of three days.

Prosecutors said Kazecki was hitting one of his three children when Rebecca Kazecki intervened, and he in turn beat her.

Kazecki’s attorneys spent several pretrial hearings this year trying to persuade Will County Judge Dan Rippy to grant their motion to suppress Kazecki’s statements to the police.

Rippy denied the motion Sept. 17.

Kazecki’s case now is scheduled for a jury trial July 14, 2025. He initially was set to go to trial Feb. 26, but that was canceled after his attorneys motioned to suppress his statements from police.

Both parties in the case plan to meet again for another pretrial hearing Dec. 12.

Kazecki is one of the few murder defendants in Will County who’s been on pretrial release for almost the entire duration of his case.

Prosecutors from Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow pushed for Kazecki to remain in jail on a $5 million bond. Will County Judge Bennett Braun instead set Kazecki’s bond at $2 million.

Kazecki’s family managed to post 10% of that amount, or $200,000, in 2018 to secure his release from jail.

Kazecki is not receiving a pension from the Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois, and he has not been scheduled to receive a pension, a TRS spokesperson said.