WINNER OF THE MONTH

WINNER OF THE MONTH: Riley Fox's killer.

I am no expert on killers. But I have spoken with more convicted killers than the average American. And although I have never specifically discussed the issue with them, I suspect that each and everyone of them would have preferred that the authorities had waited for over a year after the killing before searching for them in earnest.

And that was the gift that the authorities in Will County gave Riley Fox's killer.

From the Tribune:

"We are looking at this case almost from a brand-new standpoint," said Lee Michaels, spokesman for Will County State's Atty. James Glasgow, who dropped the charges Friday against Fox. "We put a whole new team of investigators on it."

Meanwhile, Sheriff Paul Kaupas has ordered a review of the initial investigation that led to the charges against Fox, 28, of Wilmington. Fox was released after DNA testing of evidence taken from Riley's rape kit excluded him.

"We are reviewing this thing from top to bottom," said Pat Barry, Kaupas' spokesman. "If there was something that was done wrong, we want to fix it and do it as quickly as we can.

"The sheriff is committed to getting to the absolute truth in this matter as far as what was procedurally done and who committed this crime."

Riley's body was found drowned June 6, 2004, in Forked Creek.

Now -- after a year of degrading physical evidence, a year of fading memories, a year of covering tracks -- the search for Riley's actual killer has now started again from scratch. And that is what makes that piece of human trash June's biggest winner.