Willie Smith | Homicide Watch Chicago

Joeann Smith pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter in shooting that killed 65-year-old

Michael Lansu — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 10:07:11 -0500

Joeann Smith / Photo from Chicago Police

BY LEEANN SHELTON
Sun-Times Media

Joeann Smith pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter Thursday for fatally shooting a 65-year-old man in 2014 during an argument about whether or not a gun would fire.

Smith, 54, was sentenced to 30 months probation for the Jan. 8, 2014, shooting in the 1700 block of East 72nd Street, court records show.

Joeann Smith and Willie Smith were arguing about whether or not a gun would fire when Joeann Smith pointed the weapon at the man’s face and fired, authorities said at the time.

Willie Smith, of the 500 block of North Des Plaines Street, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced brain-dead two days later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Joeann Smith, who lived in the home on 72nd Street, pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter, court records show. She also faced a charge of reckless discharge of a firearm, but that charge was dropped.

Judge Michael B. McHale handed down the sentence at Thursday’s hearing, according to court records.

Police: Murders down 50 percent from January 2013

Michael Lansu — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 15:19:33 -0600

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

Chicago had half as many murders in January 2014 compared to the first month of 2013.

Police reported 20 killings in the month, which had 11 days of subzero temperature and was one of the coldest months in recent years.

"The superintendent has said weather is a factor, but its not the only factor," said Chicago Police spokesman Adam Collins. "It neither causes nor prevents crime."

Overall, Chicago had 50 percent fewer killings than it did in January 2013, when 40 people were murdered; 47 percent fewer slayings than January 2012, when 38 people were killed; and a 29 percent decrease from January 2011, when 28 people were murdered, police said.

Nineteen of the 20 people killed were males, and the most common victim was a 19-year-old man. The youngest victim was 15-year-old Miguel Naverrette and the oldest was 44-year-old Edward Caridine.

Eighteen of the 20 murders were shootings. In the other two, Stephanie Serrano was stabbed to death at a Jan. 6 party and Caridine was found beaten to death in his apartment Jan. 22, according autopsies performed by the medical examiner’s office.

Three of the city’s 77 community areas had multiple murders in January. The Chicago Lawn community had the most killings with five. South Lawndale and Chatham also tallied multiple slayings with three and two, respectively.

The decrease in murders came in one of the coldest Januarys in recent years. The average temperature in January 2014 was about 15.5 degrees -- about 8.5 degrees colder than normal, according to the National Weather Service. The average temperature was about 26.5 degrees in January 2013 and about 30 degrees in January 2012 -- nearly three to 6.5 degrees warmer than normal.

Despite the colder temperature, Chicago still tallied a murder on 14 different days in January 2014 -- including one on the coldest day of the month when the average temperature was minus-9 degrees.

The city recorded 90 shootings and 98 shooting victims in January 2014 -- the lowest total in the past four years, police said. In the first month of 2013, the city had 158 shootings and 186 victims.

“After historic lows in crime and violence in 2013, January saw continued progress, yet much more work remains to be done and no one will rest until everyone in Chicago enjoys the same sense of safety," Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said in a statement. "We are continuing to make progress, like the near all-time lows we saw last February and March, but it will become more challenging without better laws that help keep illegal guns out of our communities and punish the criminals who carry them.”

The Cook County medical examiner’s office, which classifies killings different, ruled 23 Chicago deaths homicides. Authorities determined three of the deaths were involuntary manslaughter, which Chicago Police do not count as murders in accordance with the FBI's Unified Crime Reporting System.

In the first manslaughter case, 52-year-old Joeann Smith fatally shot 65-year-old relative Willie Smith at her South Shore home during a Jan. 8 argument about whether the gun would fire, authorities said. She was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm.

In the second incident, a 31-year-old woman was released without being charged for fatally stabbing 38-year-old Danny Melendez Jan. 29 in the 2300 block of North Cicero Avenue, authorities said.

The third justified homicide happened when a Pilsen resident fatally shot alleged burglar Mario Viramontes in the 2000 block of West 21st Street, authorities said. Viramontes, 31, was dead on the scene.

WEEK IN REVIEW: Three shot, one stabbed to death in city killings

Michael Lansu — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 08:50:01 -0600

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

Three men were fatally shot and a woman was stabbed to death in homicides throughout the city last week.

Three of the killings happened during indoor disputes, and at least one police called domestic-related.

The most recent murder happened when 16-year-old Marquise Harris was shot dead in a second-floor apartment in the 6200 block of South St. Lawrence Avenue about 11:20 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.

Harris got into a dispute with his girlfriend during a gathering at the apartment and a male friend of hers intervened, authorities said. Harris then got into a fight with the acquaintance, who allegedly shot Harris in the chest.

Harris, who lived on the block, died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County at 12:05 a.m. Sunday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

On Wednesday, Willie Smith was shot about 7 p.m. during an argument about whether or not a gun would fire at a relative's home in the 1700 block of East 72nd Street, authorities said.

During the argument, Joeann Smith pointed the gun at Willie Smith‘s face and pulled the trigger — shooting him in the eye, authorities said.

Willie Smith, of the 500 block of North Des Plaines Street, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he died at 9 a.m. Friday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Joeann Smith, 52, was charged with one count of reckless discharge of a firearm, police said.

In the Chicago Lawn neighborhood, 19-year-old Joseph Brittman was shot in the back about 3:05 p.m. in the 6400 block of South Campbell Avenue, authorities said.

Brittman, of the 6600 block of South Bell Avenue, died at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn about two hours later, according to the medical examiner’s office.

On Monday, Adan Montano allegedly fatally stabbed Stephanie Serrano about 10:15 p.m. at a party in an apartment in the 2900 block of West 63rd Street, authorities said.

Prosecutors said Montano brushed his teeth with the household-cleaning product “Fabuloso” and harassed her and other guests at his roommate's birthday party.

Montano, 37, and his roommate then got into a fight and Montano emerged from his bedroom with a butcher knife, prosecutors said. The partygoers fled, but Serrano fell and Montano allegedly stabbed her multiple times.

Serrano, of the 8300 block of South Komensky Avenue, died at Mount Sinai Hospital about an hour later, according to the medical examiner’s office said.

South Shore woman fatally shoots 65-year-old relative during argument about if the gun would fire

Michael Lansu — Sat, 11 Jan 2014 10:29:19 -0600

Joeann Smith / Photo from Chicago Police

A South Shore woman accidentally fatally shot a 65-year-old relative during an argument about whether the gun would fire, police said.

Joeann Smith and Willie Smith were arguing about whether or not a gun would fire about 7 p.m. Wednesday at the woman's home in the 1700 block of East 72nd Street, authorities said.

During the argument, Joeann Smith pointed the weapon at Willie Smith's face and pulled the trigger -- shooting him in the eye, authorities said.

Willie Smith, of the 500 block of North Des Plaines Street, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he died at 9 a.m. Friday, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Joeann Smith, 52, was charged with one count of reckless discharge of a firearm, police said. She is expected to appear for a bond hearing Saturday.

Police described the argument as domestic, but the relationship between the two was not immediately known.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire