After arrests for shootings in Chicago, the road to justice is long and uncertain

CHICAGO - Rick Franklin's hearing before a judge last month lasted about two minutes, if that.

Dressed in a tan jail jumpsuit, Franklin crossed his bare arms behind his back as he walked into the courtroom. He was facing gun charges for shooting a man in the foot during a violent weekend in August, when at least 75 people were shot in Chicago. Before Franklin was even settled, another hearing date had been set.

"So we'll see you back here on Dec. 10, OK," said the judge, who was filling in for another judge who regularly presided in that courtroom. Franklin was quickly taken back to a holding cell.

But when Franklin returned Dec. 10, the regular judge again wasn't present and he was told to return in another month.

These routine postponements offer a glimpse into how victims and families of people shot in Chicago can face a depressingly long road on the way to justice. Even with the low percentage of shootings that result in arrests, it can take more than a year of filings, fights over evidence and delays before a case may finally be resolved.

Alicia Owney has been told it could be two years before she knows whether someone will be held accountable for the death of her 23-year-old