More than a decade after the killing of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton put a national spotlight on Chicago’s entrenched problem with gun violence, Illinois prosecutors worked to salvage a convi…
Prosecuting attorney Brian Holmes holds a photograph of Hadiya Pendleton as he speaks at the sentencing of Micheail Ward, at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago on Jan., 14, 2019. Ward was found guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated battery in the slaying.
Now, the Attorney General’s Office is asking the Illinois Supreme Court to reverse the lower court’s ruling. Assistant Attorney General Eric Levin largely argued on Wednesday during oral arguments that there was significant evidence of Ward’s guilt even without his confession to police, meaning a jury would have likely come to the same conclusion regardless.
During trial, prosecutors alleged that Ward and his co-defendant Kenneth Williams, allegedly members of the SUWU gang, targeted members of the rival 4-6 Terror gang at the park, their hangout, as part of an ongoing feud that saw Williams himself shot. Instead, though, the bullets hit Pendleton and two other classmates who were wounded.
He also said there was “powerful circumstantial evidence” that tied Ward to the getaway car, noting that a witness of the shooting saw the same make, model and color of a car his mother owned.Ward made “several inculpatory statements” after being held for about 12 hours, the lower court opinion said.
“It was the straw that broke the camel’s back … it went directly into the state’s proof that he in fact was the shooter,” he said.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Illinois woman airlifted to hospital following crash involving Northern Illinois University busA 25-year-old woman is in critical condition after her vehicle collided with a Northern Illinois University bus in Kane County Sunday night.
Read more »
Illinois ranks as ‘most normal state' in U.S. according to Washington Post data analysisPollsters and political experts routinely try to put their finger on the pulses of what “real Americans” are talking about, but one publication’s effort…
Read more »
Woman accused of making bomb threat to Illinois State CapitolA woman was accused of making a bomb threat to the Illinois State Capitol in April.
Read more »
Woman arrested for April bomb threat at Illinois State Capitol, public aid office in SpringfieldGabrielle Williams, 23, of Springfield, is charged with one felony count of disorderly conduct.
Read more »
Lil Wayne joins star-studded 2024 Illinois State Fair Grandstand lineupAnother major act has been added to the 2024 Illinois State Fair Grandstand Stage lineup: Lil Wayne.
Read more »
Rapper Lil Wayne announced as headliner for Illinois State Fair in SpringfieldGrammy winner Lil Wayne announced as headliner for Illinois State Fair
Read more »