Shaughnessy Simms | Homicide Watch Chicago

UPDATE: Austin man kills father of girlfriend’s child, prosecutors say

Michael Lansu — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 10:00:54 -0600

Shaughnessy Simms / Photo from Chicago Police

BY JON SEIDEL
Chicago Sun-Times

An Austin neighborhood man has been charged with first-degree murder after prosecutors said he shot and killed the father of his girlfriend’s child.

Shaughnessy Simms Jr., 31, of the 5900 block of West Midway Park, was ordered held without bail Sunday by Cook County Judge James Brown.

Assistant State’s Attorney Kingsley Sawyers said Simms and his girlfriend began to argue Friday at Simms’ home because he’d been dating other women. The argument went on for a couple of hours, Sawyers said.

Eventually he said the girlfriend went to her room and got on the phone, speaking to Jermane Richardson, the father of her 7-year-old child.

Richardson showed up at the residence 45 minutes later and knocked on the door, the prosecutor said. Simm’s girlfriend came out of her room to speak to Richardson, who was at the bottom of a set of stairs.

A witness later saw Simms come out of his room with a “big gun,” Sawyers said, and he began to argue with Richardson as the girlfriend tried to intervene.

Eventually Richardson began to walk up the stairs toward Simms, Sawyers said, but Simms shot him once in the arm. Then, after Richardson fell to the ground in a seated position, the prosecutor said Simms stood over him and shot him two more times, once in the head.

Simms was arrested in Downstate Freeport, police said, and admitted to shooting Richardson.

WEEK IN REVIEW: Nine murdered in attacks throughout the city

Michael Lansu — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 08:55:13 -0600

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

Eight people were shot to death and one man was beaten and dismembered in murders throughout the city last week.

Charges have been filed in three of the four killings.

On Saturday, 23-year-old Craig Williams was shot to death while walking in the 4500 block of South Indiana Avenue about 4:10 a.m., authorities said.

Two males exited a sedan and shot Williams several times, authorities said. Williams, who lived on the block, ran to a nearby vacant lot, where he collapsed and died.

On Friday, police found 31-year-old Jernale Richardson was shot in the 5900 block of West Midway Park about 3:50 a.m., authorities said. Richardson, of the 5100 block of West Ohio Street, was shot in the chest and head and was dead on the scene.

Shaughnessy Simms Jr. was charged with first-degree murder in Richardson's death.

On Thursday, 50-year-old Elijah Johnson was killed during a home invasion in the 1600 block of South Central Park Avenue about 8:15 p.m., authorities said.

Johnson answered the door and got into a fight when two men tried to force their way inside to see a girl, authorities said. One of the men shot Johnson in the chest and the pair ran away.

Johnson, of the 400 block of Stonewater Lane in Oswego, died at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

On the West Side, Dennis Glover was shot to death while walking with his girlfriend on a sidewalk near his home in the 700 block of South Kilbourn Avenue, authorities said.

Two people approached the couple and shot Glover in the chest about 8:15 p.m. Thursday, authorities said. The shooters fled in an SUV.

Glover was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:46 p.m. Thursday, according to the medical examiner’s office. His girlfriend was not injured, police said.

On Wednesday, Alexis Valdez">Alexis Valdez attacked 41-year-old Silvestre Diaz-Hernandez in an apartment in the 2500 block of North Kildare Avenue about 2 a.m., prosecutors said.

Valdez, 18, of the 5000 block of West Drummond Place, was charged with one count of first-degree murder for allegedly beating Diaz-Hernandez to death with a hammer then dismembering his body, authorities said.

Prosecutors claim Valdez lived in the home with his aunt, who asked him to move out. An angry Valdez attacked his aunt's boyfriend, Diaz-Hernandez, to get even, prosecutors said.

On the South Side, Eric Hunt was shot and killed in the 1200 block of West 73rd Place about 12:15 a.m. Wednesday, authorities said. Hunt, of the 4300 block of South Calumet Avenue, died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County about 8:30 a.m., according to the medical examiner’s office.

On Monday, 22-year-old Alexander Rodriguez was shot in the chest, leg and abdomen area in the 2300 block of North Ridgeway Avenue about 7:40 p.m., authorities said.

Rodriguez died at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center at 8:32 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office.

In the West Pullman neighborhood, 19-year-old Natasha Green and a 23-year-old man were shot in the 11700 block of South Eggleston Avenue about 12:35 p.m. Monday, authorities said.

Green, of the 11700 block of South Normal Avenue, was shot in the head died at Roseland Community Hospital less than an hour later, authorities said.

The 23-year-old man was shot in the leg and survived, police said.

In the Chicago Lawn neighborhood, 23-year-old Christopher Lang was walking in the 3400 block of West 72nd Place about midnight Monday he was shot in the abdomen area, authorities said.

Lang, of the 3500 block of West 72nd Place, died at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn at 3:22 a.m. Monday, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Daquon E. Renfro, 19, and Antonio Cox, 20, were each charged with murder in Lang's death, authorities said. The men approached Lang and asked to buy marijuana then shot him during an attempted robbery, prosecutors said.

Shaughnessy Simms charged with murder in death of Jernale Richardson

Michael Lansu — Sat, 28 Dec 2013 13:07:06 -0600

Shaughnessy Simms / Photo from Chicago Police

Shaughnessy Simms Jr. has been charged with murder for allegedly shooting Jernale Richardson to death early Friday in the Austin neighborhood.

Simms, 31, was charged with one count of first-degree murder and is expected to appear in bond court later Saturday, authorities said.

Richardson, 36, was discovered about 3:50 a.m. Friday in the 5900 block of West Midway Park with gunshot wounds to the chest and head, authorities said. Simms lived on the block, according to police.

Richardson, of the 5100 block of West Ohio Street, was dead at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire