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Pritzker signs order making gun violence a public health crisis
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has declared gun violence a public health crisis, saying $250 million in state and federal money will be directed toward the issue.
CHICAGO - Thirteen alleged members of the Wicked Town faction of the Traveling Vice Lords street gang face new charges that connects the gang to a stunning 19 murders over 20 years, including a cold-blooded murder-for-hire, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.
It’s the second notable street-gang indictment from federal prosecutors in less than three weeks. It also became public during closing arguments in the federal racketeering trial of Labar "Bro Man" Spann, the alleged chief of the Four Corner Hustlers.
Prosecutors said the accused gang members charged in the latest indictment operated primarily out of Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, keeping "trap houses" to store guns and drugs, including cocaine and heroin.
The feds said the multi-year investigation led to the seizure of 46 guns, about 1,000 rounds of ammunition, about 17 kilograms of cocaine, about seven kilograms of heroin and about 100 grams of crack cocaine.
The assault rifle pistol that police allegedly seized from Demond Brown on March 13, 2018. | U.S. Attorney's Office
All 13 people charged in the case are in custody, prosecutors said.
Charged in the case are Donald "Lil’ Don" Lee, 39; Deshawn "Tiny" Morgan, 39; Marquel "P" Russell, 44; Darius "Skudder" Murphy, 22; Torance "Blackie" Benson, 29; Davion "DayDay" Russell, 21; Deshon "D Mac" George, 28; Nashon "Bootie" Johnson, 42; Dante "DT" Dockett, 43; Demond "Loonie" Brown, 28; Victor "Ju" Turner, 30; Willie "Flocka" Gardley, 27; and David "Day Day" Arrington, 26.
Several of them could face the death penalty if convicted of certain murders listed in the indictment. Those murders took place between 2000 and 2020, and the list takes up more than two pages in the indictment.
The indictment alleges Lee murdered Lamont Ware on July 22, 2000; that Lee and Johnson murdered Ernest Moore on Dec. 23, 2002; that Lee murdered John Johnson on June 15, 2003; that Brown and Benson murdered Ron Hernandez on Dec. 21, 2014; that Brown murdered Abraham Cooper on Dec. 23, 2014; that Gardley and Lee murdered Charlie Weathers on May 23, 2015; that Turner and Lee murdered Malcolm Willie on July 15, 2015; that Murphy, Brown and Lee murdered James Douthard on August 23, 2015; that Murphy and Brown murdered Dan Rance on Sept. 2, 2015; that Benson murdered Martel Howard on Jan. 21, 2016; that Dockett and Russell murdered Derrick Jones and Stephen Tucker on Dec. 23, 2016; that Murphy murdered Alfred Stovall on April 28, 2017; that Murphy, Brown, Lee and Gardley murdered Kishaun Mobley on Dec. 23, 2017; that Murphy, Brown, Gardley and Arrington murdered Uriah Hughes on Jan. 11, 2018; that Morgan, Murphy and Brown murdered Donald Holmes Jr. and Diane Taylor on Jan. 31, 2018; that Turner murdered Sammy Hodges on March 10, 2019; and Arrington murdered Ronald Boyd on Aug. 22, 2020.
Morgan, Murphy and Brown were earlier charged in 2019 for the January 2018 murders of Holmes and Taylor. Prosecutors alleged that Morgan hired Murphy and Brown to kill the pair in exchange for $5,000 and an assault rifle. Holmes and Taylor were then killed inside Holmes’ 2017 Jeep Cherokee while it was parked in the 4700 block of Arthington Street.
Later that year, someone secretly recorded Murphy and Brown in the Cook County Jail discussing the killings. They said it happened because Morgan thought Holmes was working as a confidential informant for law enforcement.
Though Holmes had not been working with law enforcement at the time of his death, he had been a source for the FBI, according to a criminal complaint.
Handgun allegedly used in murder of Holmes Jr. & Taylor | U.S. Attorney’s Office
During the recorded conversation, Murphy explained that he shot Holmes after getting into the back seat of Holmes’ car. Taylor had been driving and Holmes was in the passenger seat when Taylor pulled the vehicle in front of Murphy’s home.
"I get in the back seat," Murphy allegedly said. "Shoot that b— in the back of his sh—. Pow pow!"
Then Murphy allegedly added, "his b— tried to bail out. I grabbed her by the back of her wig. I said, ‘where you going?’ Pow pow! I hit her in her sh— two times. Then I turn, hit him in his sh— two more times. Pow pow!"