UPDATE: No bond for two men charged with murder in South Shore shooting deaths of deacon, musician

Brian Slodysko — Sun, 10 Aug 2014 19:56:54 -0500

Mark Hall / Photo from Chicago Police

BY BRIAN SLODYSKO
Chicago Sun-Times

Tattooed across the throat of Mark A. Hall, one of two men accused of killing a deacon and a blues musician during botched robberies last December, is the phrase: “God 4 Gives I Don’t.”

On Sunday, it was Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois’ turn to be unforgiving. With a dismissive nod, Bourgeois ordered Hall held without bail as he awaits trial. His co-defendant, Devin Aldridge, was ordered held without bond on Saturday.

Hall and Aldridge, both 23, were charged with two counts each of first-degree murder for the early morning killings of deacon Willie Cooper and musician Eric “Guitar” Davis on Dec. 19, 2013, in the South Shore neighborhood, authorities said.

Cooper and Davis were shot to death within 40 minutes just blocks from each other, Assistant State’s Attorney Luz Toledo said in court.

In both cases, the men were in their vehicles waiting to pick up a friend, prosecutors said. Each tried to speed away to avoid getting robbed by Aldridge and Hall, prosecutors alleged. Instead, they both died in a hail of 9 mm bullets that were traced to the same handgun, according to prosecutors.

Cooper, 74, was shot at 4:44 a.m. in the 7000 block of South East End Avenue. Davis, 41, was sitting in his vehicle in the 6700 block of South East End about 5:20 a.m. when he was shot, police said.

Davis, of the 14200 block of South Eggleston in Riverdale, and Cooper, of the 6800 block of South Crandon, were dead at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Prosecutors credited the arrest of Aldridge and Hall to the work of family, police and Cook County Crime Stoppers. The groups distributed fliers with video surveillance images of the suspects in the neighborhood. Officers in the district recognized Aldridge and Hall from the fliers.

Devin Aldridge / Photo from Chicago Police

Prosecutors said a witness came forward in June and identified Aldridge as one of the people running away from the car after Cooper was fatally shot. Aldridge’s phone number also “pinged” a cell tower near the area of that homicide, prosecutors said. Surveillance footage shows Hall shooting Cooper, prosecutors said.

“Willie Cooper was a deacon of his church and a great person who would help anyone,” Crime Stoppers Chairman George McDade said in a statement in June. “Eric Davis is from a family of jazz musicians and had a promising career.”

McDade called both men “pillars in their community.”

Two men charged in murders of deacon, musician

Michael Lansu — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 16:15:13 -0500

Mark Hall / Photo from Chicago Police

Two men have been charged with murder for separate shootings blocks apart that killed a deacon and a musician December 2013 on the South Side.

Mark Hall and Devin Aldridge, both 23, were each charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the Dec. 19, 2013, shootings that killed Deacon Willie Cooper and musician Eric “Guitar” Davis, authorities said.

Both Davis and Cooper were sitting in parked vehicles when they were shot about 30 minutes apart in the early morning hours, police said at the time.

Cooper, 74, was waiting to give a friend a ride to work when he was shot at 4:44 a.m. in the 7000 block of South East End Avenue. Davis, 41, was sitting in his vehicle in the 6700 block of South East End about 5:20 a.m. when he was shot, police said.

Both Davis, of the 14200 block of South Eggleston in Riverdale, and Cooper, of the 6800 block of South Crandon, were dead at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Family, police and Cook County Crime Stoppers passed out flyers in the neighborhood as recently as June asking for the public’s help to solve the shootings.

Devin Aldridge / Photo from Chicago Police

McDade called both men “pillars in their community.”

Hall, of the 7000 block of South East End Avenue, and Aldridge, of the 1600 block of East 68th Street, are expected to appear in bond court Saturday, police said.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Mark Hall | Homicide Watch Chicago

UPDATE: No bond for two men charged with murder in South Shore shooting deaths of deacon, musician

Two men charged in murders of deacon, musician