A woman’s effort to change her name after being found not guilty by reason of insanity of trying to kill a Chicago police officer has hit a roadblock. Court records show the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office filed an objection Wednesday to Whitley Temple’s name-change request, adding a new layer of drama to the unusual case.
Temple was acquitted last year of attempting to murder Officer Ed Poppish during a bizarre 2022 West Side incident in which she, half-naked, ran over him with his own squad car. Temple then fled in the vehicle, stopped briefly at a gas station, and continued onto the Eisenhower Expressway, reaching speeds of 97 mph before crashing into multiple vehicles, prosecutors said.
Judge Tyria Walton found Temple not guilty by reason of insanity on charges including attempted murder and carjacking after a lengthy bench trial that ended in May 2024.
As CWBChicago reported this summer, Temple filed a petition on July 11 to legally change her first name to “Michelle.” After that report, Temple submitted another motion asking the court to seal her name-change petition, citing safety concerns, and also requested yet another name change: from “Michelle” to “Kendall,” according to court records…