SOLVE lives, and his alleged murderer finally gets his day in court

I started this street art blog during the summer of 2008 (my how time flies), in large part because of the story of Brandon "SOLVE" Scanlon's murder. Originally from Madison, Brandon had since moved to Chicago and was making a name for himself there as a street artist when he was, tragically, stabbed and killed in an alley near his apartment.

Stickers and stencils of "SOLVE LIVES" almost immediately began cropping up all over Chicago, Madison, and eventually even further afield in tribute to his life. It was hard not to notice. Brandon's father, Bill, has also be a tireless voice of support for his son's memory and street art in general.

So when I got this email from him today, I thought it would make sense to share it on the blog:

Tomorrow, June 22, at 10:00 AM the trial will start for Kirk Tobolski, the person accused of having murdered the artist Brendan Scanlon.also known by his guerrilla art name SOLVE.

Scanlon, who is also known by his street art name SOLVE, grew up in Madison, where he graduated from Madison East in 2002.  In 2003 he moved to Chicago for school and work.  He was killed in Chicago in June, 2008 at age 24.

The trial, titled People v Kirk Tobolski, Case No. 08CR-13164, is open to the public. It will be in Courtroom 205 at the Criminal Courts Building, 2650 S California Ave in Chicago.

Tomorrow the trial will likely run into the late afternoon. It is also scheduled to continue on Thursday, June 23, and might continue on other dates that are not yet set.

The trial is starting more than three years after SOLVE was killed, even though Tobolski was arrested within an hour after the killing and charged with the murder less than a day later. Tobolski has been out on bail since late October, 2008.