Frances Colon | Homicide Watch Chicago

Man gets 75 years for 2013 shooting of Clemente High School senior Frances Colon

Jeff Mayes — Fri, 06 Oct 2017 13:18:17 -0500

By JORDAN OWEN
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Larry Luellen Jr. | Illinois Dept. of Corrections

A man has been sentenced to 75 years in prison for the fatal shooting of Roberto Clemente High School student Frances Colon in 2013 in Humboldt Park.

Larry Luellen Jr., 41, was convicted of the teen's murder on June 23 following a jury trial before Judge Arthur Hill Jr., according to Cook County court records.

Luellen was aiming for a 28-year-old man he was arguing over a drug deal with when he instead shot the 18-year-old Colon, a college-bound senior at Clemente, authorities said at the time.

Luellen, a member of the Black P Stones gang, got into a drug-related dispute with the intended target 20 minutes before the shooting about 7 p.m. on Feb. 15, 2013, in the 1100 block of North Pulaski, according to prosecutors. He then went to a barber shop to get a gun and returned, chasing the man and firing six times, but missing the man and striking the teen once in the upper back.

Frances Colon | Facebook

Officers nearby heard the gunshots and found Colon in the 1100 block of North Pulaski. She was able to identify herself to police, but died about an hour later at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. An autopsy found she suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the back.

The intended target of the shooting, the 28-year-old son of a local pastor, had an extensive criminal background, and refused to cooperate with police, who believed he knew the shooter.

Judge Hill handed down the 75-year sentence on July 31, according to court records.

Luellen, a Bolingbrook resident, was booked into the Menard Correctional Center to begin serving his sentence on Aug. 1, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records.

Tip nets Clemente slaying arrest

John Carpenter — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:41:43 -0500

Chicago Sun-Times (IL) - Sunday, February 24, 2013

Author/Byline: TINA SFONDELES AND BECKY SCHLIKERMAN ; Staff Reporters

An anonymous tip — not the cooperation of a pastor’s son with knowledge of a murder — helped police nab a known gang-banger who allegedly gunned down an innocent teenager.
Larry Luellen Jr ., 34, of Bolingbrook, was charged with first-degree murder and ordered held Saturday without bail in the slaying of Frances Colon, a college-bound Clemente High School senior who police say was gunned down Feb. 15 by a bullet meant for someone else.

The charge came despite the refusal of a West Side pastor’s son to cooperate with the police — even though investigators believe he was the intended target, sources told the Sun-Times.

Authorities said Luellen is a member of the Black P Stones gang with a history of drug arrests, and they think he and the pastor’s 28-year-old son were arguing over a drug deal before the shooting.

Sixteen people showed up in court in support of Luellen Saturday but declined to comment.

Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said Saturday an anonymous tip helped lead police to Luellen .

Authorities said Luellen got into a drug-related dispute with the intended target 20 minutes before the shooting, went to a barber shop to get a gun, then returned, chasing the man and firing six times but missing him, instead hitting Colon once in the upper back.

Officers nearby heard the gunshots and found Colon in the 1100 block of North Pulaski. She was able to identify herself to police.

The 18-year-old Colon — the third Clemente High School student killed so far this year — had never gotten into trouble with the police, authorities said.

The pastor, who requested anonymity, said he urged his son to cooperate with the police, accompanying him to speak with detectives, but the son changed his mind and refused to talk.

McCarthy said of the intended victim: “We are trying to compel him to testify.”

“His cooperation would obviously make the case that much stronger,” he said. “But at this point, we have a statement from Mr.Luellen , we have identification of Mr. Luellen by independent witnesses, and the fact is we’ve got a good strong case — good enough to charge him.”

McCarthy said the intended target “should not have been on the street” because he’d been charged with assaulting an officer but had been released from custody.

“While he’s not the shooter, not the victim, he was the intended target,” McCarthy said. “If he had been incarcerated, perhaps this crime would not have occurred.”

Contributing: Frank Main

Suspect questioned in Colon murder

John Carpenter — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:39:05 -0500

Chicago Sun-Times (IL) - Friday, February 22, 2013

Author/Byline: MICHAEL SNEED ; Columnist

A suspect was arrested late Thursday in the murder of 18-year-old Frances Colon , the third Roberto Clemente High School student shot to death this school year, a Chicago Police source said.

The man, who is in his 40s, was arrested in the 11th District, the source said. The shooting stemmed from a drug bust gone wrong, and Colon was an innocent bystander, police said.

Colon , of the 2900 block of West Armitage, was a senior at Clemente. She was shot in the back about 7 p.m. Feb. 15 in the 1100 block of North Pulaski.

Judith Vazquez, who serves on Clemente’s Local School Council, last weekend called Colon ’s death tragic and denounced all the recent shootings in which children have been killed. “This girl was on track,” Vazquez said of Colon .

“This is happening citywide, not just on the South Side, not just in Hyde Park where the president lives,” she said, referring to the fatal shooting of Hadiya Pendleton, 15, a mile from President Barack Obama’s house a week after she had performed in inauguration events in Washington, D.C. “The violence is bad citywide. It’s affecting the kids as a whole.”

Pastor’s son won’t help police investigating deadly shooting

John Carpenter — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:37:55 -0500

Chicago Sun-Times (IL) - Saturday, February 23, 2013

Author/Byline: BY FRANK MAIN ; Staff Reporter

A West Side pastor’s son has refused to cooperate with the police — even though investigators believe he was the intended target of a shooter whose errant bullet killed an innocent Clemente High School student, sources said.
Police were holding a suspect for questioning on Friday in the slaying of Frances Colon , an 18-year-old senior who planned to attend college.

Colon was shot to death on Feb. 15 in the 1100 block of North Pulaski. She was never arrested or in trouble with the police, authorities said.

Sources said they believe the 34-year-old suspect is a member of the Black P Stones street gang. They think he and the pastor’s 28-year-old son were arguing over a drug deal before the shooting.

The suspect and the target both have extensive criminal backgrounds, sources said.

The pastor, who requested anonymity, said he urged his son to cooperate with the police.

The pastor and two other pastors accompanied his son to speak to the police. But then the son changed his mind and refused to talk, the pastor said.

“He didn’t want his family to be at risk,” the pastor said. “If it was me, I would tell. . . . I have marched against violence in our community. I don’t go by the code of ‘snitches get stitches.’ I thought my son would do it. I did the best I could.”

Some believe the reluctance of witnesses to cooperate with police is a reason why the Chicago Police Department’s murder clearance rate was just 25 percent last year.

Colon was the third Clemente High School student killed in 2013.

Killed girl was not target of shooter

John Carpenter — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:33:08 -0500

Chicago Sun-Times (IL) - Monday, February 18, 2013 Author/Byline: SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE An 18-year-old woman fatally shot Friday night in Humboldt Park was not the intended target of the shooter, police said on Sunday. Frances Colon was shot in the shoulder about 7 p.m. in the 1100 block of North Pulaski Road, police said.

Colon , of the 2900 block of West Armitage Avenue, was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital at 8:16 p.m. Friday, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office. An autopsy on Saturday found that she suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the back and her death was ruled a homicide, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Police said on Sunday that they believe Colon was not the intended target of the shooter. No additional details on the shooting were available as of Sunday morning.

Frances Colon, 18, a senior at Roberto Clemente High School, was gunned down Friday night in the 1100 block of North Pulaski. She was the unintended target of a shooter, Chicago Police said Sunday.

Judith Vazquez, who serves on Clemente’s Local School Council, called Colon’s death tragic and denounced all the recent shootings in which children have been killed.

“This is happening citywide, not just on the South Side, not just in Hyde Park where the president lives,” she said referring to the fatal shooting of Hadiya Pendleton, 15, a mile from the President Barack Obama’s house a week after she had performed in inauguration events in Washington, D.C. “The violence is bad citywide. It’s affecting the kids as a whole.”

Frances Colon was shot in the shoulder about 7 p.m. in the 1100 block of North Pulaski, police said.

“This girl was on track,” Vazquez said, referring other questions to the school.

Colon, of the 2900 block of West Armitage, was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital at 8:16 p.m. Friday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. An autopsy on Saturday found that she suffered a fatal gunshot wound in her back and her death was ruled a homicide, according to the medical examiner’s office.