Raymond Myles | Homicide Watch Chicago

Alleged shooter is second suspect charged with murder of Judge Raymond Myles outside his South Side home

Jeff Mayes — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 09:48:28 -0500

By SAM CHARLES
Chicago Sun-Times

Earl Wilson | Chicago Police

The suspected killer of Cook County Judge Raymond Myles has been charged with murder, authorities announced Thursday afternoon.

Earl Wilson, 45, was charged with one count of first-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Myles earlier this month, according to Chicago Police. He was ordered held without bond in the Cook County Jail at a hearing Friday.

Myles and his girlfriend were shot about 4:50 a.m. April 10 outside his home in the 9400 block of South Forest, authorities said. Myles was pronounced dead later that morning at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

A man crept up on the woman as she left Myles’ house. He took her gym bag and shot her in the leg.

Hearing the gunshot, Myles came out of the house and confronted the gunman, who shot Myles four times, killing the 66-year-old judge, prosecutors previously said.

Cook County Associate Judge Raymond Myles

The alleged getaway driver in the shooting, 37-year-old Joshua Smith, was charged earlier this month with first-degree murder, aggravated battery and obstructing police. He is being held without bond at the Cook County Jail.

“We believe he is the shooter in this reprehensible attack and was assisted by Mr. Smith,” Rodney Blisset, commander of Area South Detectives, said of Wilson at a press conference.

Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said Wilson was convicted of attempted murder in 1992 and served 12 years of an 18-year prison sentence.

“As we’ve seen time and time again, he’s no stranger to the criminal justice system,” Johnson said. “In this case, he’s also no stranger to murder.”

In the years since his release from prison, Wilson has also been arrested for car theft, domestic battery and gun possession.

Joshua Smith | Chicago Police

Smith is related to the ex-husband of Myles’ girlfriend, sources previously told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Myles’ girlfriend filed for divorce from her husband in 2015, court records show. The exact relationship between Smith and the ex-husband was not known.

On Thursday, police declined to say if Wilson was also related to Myles’ girlfriend. They also did not specify the relationship between Wilson and Smith.

Blisset also would not say definitively if more suspects were being sought in the case, only that there was “more work to be done.”

At Smith’s bond hearing, prosecutors said the shooter had followed the judge’s girlfriend for weeks before the botched stickup attempt.

The shooter “grew upset” as he rifled through her bag and couldn’t find anything, prosecutors previously said. The man eventually tossed the bag from the car window and into a trash can. Police said the shootings had nothing to do with Myles’ position as a judge.

Last week, dozens of people flocked to Myles’ wake and funeral to pay their respects.

A Chicago Police car is parked in front of the home of Cook County Associate Judge Raymond Myles, 66, in the 9400 block of South Forest. where Myles was fatally wounded. | Leslie Adkins/For the Sun-Times

Mourners included family, friends and Myles’ colleagues from the Cook County judicial system: judges, prosecutors, sheriff’s officers.

“People feel bad, they’re upset,” Judge Diann Marsalek said outside the Stony Island Church of Christ last Friday. “We’re family. We have to look out for each other.”

During his seven years on the bench in Room 204 of the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, Myles garnered a reputation for tough love. Though he ordered those who were late to court to write lines, he also loaned shirts and ties to those who did not have them, and worked to point many arrestees toward a high school diploma or GED.

WEEK IN REVIEW: Six more people killed in Chicago, including Cook County judge gunned down in front of his home

Jeff Mayes — Fri, 21 Apr 2017 12:31:29 -0500

By JEFF MAYES
Homicide-Watch Chicago

Six more people were homicide victims in Chicago last week, including a Cook County judge shot to death in front of his South Side home, as the city's epidemic of violence kept pace with with 2016, a year which saw the most murders in two decades.

On April 19, Chicago recorded its 171st homicide of the year, according to records kept by the Chicago Sun-Times. In 2016, the 171st homicide of the year was also recorded on April 19. However, the ciuty's 172nd and 173rd homicides were also reported on April 19, so as of Friday morning, this year is running two homicides behind last year, which ended with more than 780.

The violence actually slowed down somewhat last week, as four of the six fatal shootings were reported on Monday, April 17, and just two others happened the rest of the week.

The most shocking crime of the week involved the judge, who was shot to death in an incident that also left a woman wounded early Monday in the West Chesterfield neighborhood on the South Side.

Officers responded at 4:51 a.m. to a call of shots fired in the 9400 block of South Forest and found the 66-year-old man and 52-year-old woman suffering from gunshot wounds, according to police. The man was identified as Cook County Associate Judge Raymond Myles, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Myles, who lived on the same block, was pronounced dead at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn at 5:33 a.m. His girlfriend was shot in the leg and was taken in serious condition to Christ Medical Center, police said.

Two days later, the 37-year-old man who allegedly drove the getaway car was charged with murder, police said. Joshua Smith was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder and obstruction, police said. The motive for the shootings was robbery and Myles was targeted, police said, though the incident had nothing to do with his position as a judge.

Last week's final homicide occurred early Sunday, when one man was killed and another wounded in a Douglas Park neighborhood shooting on the Southwest Side. The pair was standing outside at 2:27 a.m. in the 1300 block of South Fairfield when another male opened fire, according to Chicago Police.
Tywan Anderson, 23, suffered gunshot wounds to the head and back, and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:57 a.m., according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. A 19-year-old man was shot in the left hand and was also taken to Mount Sinai, where his condition was stabilized.
- A 26-year-old man was shot to death Wednesday morning in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side, police said. At 10:33 a.m., Darian Cobbs was sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle in the 5400 block of West Kamerling when another male walked up, pulled a handgun and fired shots into the vehicle. Cobbs was shot in the body and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. He lived in the West Side North Lawndale neighborhood.
- A man died a day after being shot Monday afternoon in an attack that left another man injured in North Lawndale. Fontaine T. Sanders, 19; and a 20-year-old man were in the 4300 block of West 15th Street about noon Monday when someone got out of a vehicle and fired shots, according to police and the medical examiner's office. Sanders, known as BL, was shot in the head and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:59 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said. He lived in the same neighborhood. The older man was shot in the arm and was in good condition.
- A 19-year-old man was shot to death Monday night in the Roseland neighborhood on the Far South Side. Emmanuel Reid was walking with a 37-year-old woman east in the 100 block of East 112th Street about 9:20 p.m. when they heard shots, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. The woman ran away and when she turned to look for Reid, she saw him lying on the ground and called 911, authorities said. Reid was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene at 9:25 p.m. He lived in the West Pullman neighborhood.
- A man was killed in a West Pullman shooting that left an 11-year-old boy wounded Monday afternoon on the Far South Side. About 5:20 p.m., 26-year-old Keshawn Slaughter was with the boy in the 11600 block of South Bishop when a white vehicle pulled up and someone inside opened fire, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Slaughter was shot in the back of the head, and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead at 8:25 p.m., authorities said. The boy suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder and was also taken to Christ Medical Center, where he was listed in serious condition, police said.

Alleged getaway driver charged with murder for fatal shooting of Cook County Judge Raymond Myles

Jeff Mayes — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 11:33:27 -0500

By SAM CHARLES and FRANK MAIN
Chicago Sun-Times

Joshua Smith | Chicago Police

A 37-year-old man who allegedly drove the getaway car that fled the scene of the fatal shooting of Cook County Associate Judge Raymond Myles on Monday has been charged with murder.

Joshua Smith is charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder and obstruction, police said. The motive for the shootings was robbery, and Myles was targeted—but the incident had nothing to do with his position as a judge, Chicago Police said.

Myles was fatally shot about 4:50 a.m. Monday outside his home in the 9400 block of South Forest. His girlfriend, who was shot in a leg, is recovering.

Smith drove himself to the Area South Detectives division later that day “to speak with detectives” and has been in custody ever since, Chief of Detectives Melissa Staples said at a press conference Wednesday.

Cook County Associate Judge Raymond Myles

On Tuesday night, a car that left the murder scene was identified on video and recovered, police said. Tactical officers found it about 11 p.m. Tuesday in the Calumet District on the Far South Side.

Other people connected to the red 2005 Pontiac also were being questioned. Staples said the owner of the car isn’t suspected of being involved in the shootings.

When police found the car, officers noticed different license plates on the front and rear, Staples said. The plate that police saw in the security videos had been switched, she said.

Tests on shell casings found at the scene of the shootings showed the murder weapon was previously used in an armed robbery in January in which the victim was shot and wounded, Staples said. It underscores the problem of illegal guns being used over and over in Chicago, she said.

A Chicago Police car is parked in front of the home of Cook County Associate Judge Raymond Myles, 66, in the 9400 block of South Forest. Myles was fatally wounded Monday morning. | Leslie Adkins/For the Sun-Times

It appears Smith had fleeting contact with the judge about 16 years ago.

In 2001, he appeared before Myles on a charge of failing to have a title for a vehicle, but the case was dismissed, court records show.

The next year, Smith was charged with armed robbery with a firearm. He was convicted in 2003 and sentenced to six years in prison, records show.

Detectives said Myles walked out of his house after his girlfriend was shot, and exchanged words with the assailant before he was gunned down on a back porch.

A neighbor told the Sun-Times he heard a woman scream, “Don’t kill him! Don’t kill him!” and then heard about five shots.

Neighbors said the 66-year-old judge, whose career spanned nearly two decades, often left the house early in the morning with his 52-year-old girlfriend to work out.

The FBI has offered a $25,000 reward for tips leading to an arrest.

Police check videos, look for motive after Cook County Judge Raymond Myles fatally shot in front of his home

Jeff Mayes — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 10:40:21 -0500

By FRANK MAIN, ANDY GRIMM, FRAN SPIELMAN, JORDAN OWEN and ASHLEE REZIN
Chicago Sun-Times

Cook County Associate Judge Raymond Myles persuaded his South Side neighbors to install surveillance cameras on their homes. Now those same cameras could help solve Monday’s fatal shooting of the judge, Chicago Police said.

Police were checking cameras to see whether they could help identify the gunman. Detectives are considering a variety of motives, including robbery — as well as possible links to a beating the judge suffered in 2015 and recent threats he’d received.

“You have our word that we will not let Judge Myles’ life be lost in vain and we will hold his killer accountable,” Chicago Police Deputy Supt. Kevin Navarro said at a press conference.

Myles, 66, was shot at about 4:50 a.m. outside his home in the 9400 block of South Forest. His 52-year-old girlfriend was shot in the leg and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

A neighbor said he was in his home when he heard a woman outside yelling, “Don’t kill him! Don’t kill him!” Then he heard about five gunshots.

Cook County Associate Judge Raymond Myles

The neighbor went outside and saw the girlfriend lying in the backyard. Myles’ body was on the back porch.

Police said they don’t believe the shootings were random.

Myles’ girlfriend encountered the shooter on a concrete pad between the house and the garage, Chief of Detectives Melissa Staples said. The two “exchanged words” and the woman was shot. The woman didn’t appear to know the shooter, Staples said.

Myles came out of the house in response to the noise.

He and the gunman argued, and the man shot Myles multiple times before running away, Staples said. His girlfriend called 911.

Neighbors said Myles and his girlfriend often left the house together early to work out, according to police.

Detectives said they were pursuing “promising” leads, some from the surveillance cameras. The FBI has offered a $25,000 reward, police said.

Investigators say the violent encounter may have begun as a robbery attempt, but nothing appeared to be taken from the house or the victims.

In addition to a holdup, police said they are looking into whether the shootings are connected to recent threats against Myles or an apparent road-rage incident that left him with serious injuries last year.

In September 2015, Myles was trying to park when another driver struck his car. The other motorist allegedly punched Myles in the face when the judge began taking pictures of the damage. Myles reportedly suffered a fractured nose and other injuries requiring surgery.

At a press conference at Chicago Police headquarters Monday, Chief of Detectives Melissa Staples said the slaying of Cook County Judge Raymond Myles may have begun as a robbery attempt. | Andy Grimm/Sun-Times

Deandre Hudson is facing an aggravated battery charge in that case. He’s free on bond, records show.

Police are also looking into a protection order that Myles’ girlfriend took out against a man more than a year ago, sources said.

The resident who heard the gunshots said he’s known the judge for more than a decade, since Myles moved to the 9400 block of South Forest in the West Chesterfield neighborhood just north of Roseland.

Myles almost never told anyone on the block that he was a judge, the neighbor said.

“I doubt more than five people on our block know that,” he said.

The man, who asked that his name not be used, said he and Myles sometimes talked about community activism.

“I would relate some of my experiences about having been a teacher. He would share thoughts about where things should go in terms of making a better path for our African-American young men.”

Myles participated in the block club and arranged to have a bouncy house for children at one of their parties. He also persuaded more than a dozen neighbors to join him and install video surveillance cameras on their properties, his neighbor said.

“We need to know that the assailant is caught,” the neighbor said. “We hope the cameras have something to do with it. That would be a silver lining in all of this.”

Navarro called the shootings a “senseless act of violence.”

“Every day civil servants like Judge Myles and those of us in law enforcement work tirelessly to hold criminals accountable and make our streets safer,” Navarro told reporters. “That’s why when incidents like this happen it’s not only a reminder of the ever-present challenge we have of illegal guns and offenders willing to use them, but it’s also a direct attack on the criminal-justice system that keeps our society safe.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel also issued an emailed statement expressing his sympathy and outrage.

“Judge Raymond Myles was a well-respected and long-serving jurist, and we mourn his tragic loss,” the mayor said.

“The police are continuing to investigate the incident, but what is certain is that a distinguished public servant and pillar of the community was senselessly killed.”

During his almost two-decade career as a judge, Myles presided over several high-profile cases.

In 2008, he ordered William Balfour, the estranged brother-in-law of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson, held without bond in the slayings of her mother, brother and nephew. Balfour was later convicted.

Myles also presided over pretrial hearings for the two men convicted in the Brown’s Chicken case involving seven people slain in a Palatine restaurant in 1993.

Presiding Criminal Judge Leroy Martin said the news of Myles’ death shocked him and many who knew Myles at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse at 26th and California.

Myles’ court call each day involved youth and drug offenders who landed at the courthouse. The daily influx of mostly young men and people with substance abuse problems was a caseload Myles was passionate about.

“It was important to him, targeting young people and trying to keep them on the straight and narrow and out of the penitentiary,” Martin said Monday morning during an interview in his chambers.

“That gets lost when a lot of people think about what goes on here at 26th Street. He showed a lot of tough love, and I think people responded well on his call.”

Myles, a former Cook County assistant state’s attorney, was selected by the Illinois Supreme Court to fill a vacancy in 1999. In 2001, he was formally appointed as an associate judge.

Outside Myles’ courtroom on Monday, the public was diverted away as assistant public defenders and prosecutors who worked with the slain judge consoled one another. The cases on Myles’ call were transferred to another judge, visitors were told.

One sheriff’s deputy assigned to the courthouse said Myles was loved.

“Judge Myles joined the bench with a wealth of experience in law and extensive service to the community. I have always known Judge Myles to be focused and determined in the pursuit of justice, and his conduct earned him the confidence and respect of the people who appeared before him,” Chief Judge Timothy Evans said in a statement.

“All of our colleagues at the Leighton Criminal Court Building will miss Judge Myles, who they came to know for his kindness and his impartial administration of justice.”

Ald. Carrie Austin (34th), the powerful chairman of the City Council’s Budget Committee, also bemoaned the judge’s slaying.

“It’s a sad day for us that now we’re starting to lose our judges. I don’t know what the reason was. But for him to lose his life — what was so important to that person that took his life?” said Austin, who made it clear she had no inside information about the motive for the judge’s murder.