Offender advocates claim there are 103 cases of JLWOP in Illinois. We have already voiced on our concern (see Illinois page) about the claims of their numbers.
Two points:
1. Most of the offenders serving JLWOP in Illinois have knowingly and culpably committed some of the worst murders imagineable. We detail what we know about the cases in the Offenders section and in the victim memorials.
2. Some people across the broad criminal justice system of this nation are innocent of the crimes of which they have been convicted, and others are oversentenced, given the roles they played in their crimes. One of these cases, we believe, was Mark Clements, an Illinois JLWOP case whose release after years in prison for a crime he apparently did not commit had our full support. Mark Clements was released in 2009, and was a victim of torture at the age of 16 by disgraced Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge, who has been convicted of torturing offenders into false confessions.
CASES in Illinois – Offender name listed first in CAPS followed by the names of their victims if we know it:
CHRISTOPHER ABERNATHY (who has been exonerated by DNA and released) Kristina Hickey
MARSHAN ALLEN – (whose sentence has been reduced and parole is pending)
victims names not known
ANTOINE ANDERSON Leroy Causey and Henry Hudson
ERIC ANDERSON Helena Martin and Carrie Hovel
WAYNE ANTUSAS Carrie Hovel and Helena Martin
JOSEPH ARRIETA Anthony Moore and Ed Riola
JOHN BELK Thomas and Joanna Peragine
MICHAEL BELL John Colbert
DAVID BIRO Richard and Nancy Langert and Baby Langert
MANUEL BOBE Joseph Torres, Mike Villasenor, Mario Martinez
SCOTT CHAMBERS Reginald Wilson and Felicia Lewis
JAMES CHILDERS Robert Rotramel, Nora Rotramel, and Warren Childers
CHRISTOPHER CHURCHILL Jonathan Lloyd, Debra Smith and Jennifer Smith, Korey Smith and Kenneth Smith
MICHAEL COOKS Rayford Taylor and Vincent Zaworski
BOBBY COOLEY Walter Wheat and Richard Goodwin
DARRELL COSEY Ernest Baskin and Jamar Harrison
BRANDON CRAIGHEAD Martin and Judith Dotson
LINDSEY CRITTLE Amjad Khamreseh and Abdei Abu-Nseir
CURTIS CROFT Kimberly Boyd
SCOTT DARNELL Victoria Larson
ADDOLFO DAVIS victims names unknown
DINO DECORPO Anthony Poull and Stephanie Martin, Shawn and William Poull, Charissa Poull and Kevin Poull
MIGUEL DELEON Juana Nieto
HECTOR DELGADO Brian Strouse
DAVID EVANS Myron Cochran and Billy Johnson
DARNELL FOXX Salada Smith and Joshua Thomas
JOHNNY FREEMAN Shavanna McCann
DELANO GAMBLE Shanika Diggs
MARK GIBBS Richard Gibbs and Betty Gibbs
ADAM GRAY Peter McGuinness and Margaret Mesa
JASON GRAY Joseph Torres, Mike Villasenor, and Mario Martinez
MARCOS GRAY Sheilah Doyle
CHARLES GREEN Kim Brooks, Yvonne Brooks, Raynard Rule and Lauren Rule
EVAN GRIFFITH Leroi Shanks; James Jones
MICHAEL HEARN Ashleigh Sprague
SEAN HELGESEN Peter and Diana Robles
DANIEL HENNEY Anthony Poull, and Stephanie Martin, Shawn and Williams Poull, Charissa Poull and Kevin Poull
HAROLD HILL Kathy Morgan
RICHARD HOLMAN Ester Sepmeyer
TYRONE HUMPHREY Cary “Matt” Whitacre and Shane Storm; Sheri Ellis
JAVELL IVORY Salada Smith and Joshua Thomas
JAMIE JACKSON Robert Hanshew
COREY JOHNSON Jeremiah Scott and Charles Evans
PAUL LEE Sandra Lee Chorba
ANDRE MAULDIN Tosha Thomas and Shelly O’Dell
JACQUELINE MONTANEZ Jimmy Cruz and Hector Reyes
NICHOLAS MORFIN Helena Martin and Carrie Hovel
LABRON NEAL Terrance Mitchell and James Austin Campbell
WILLIAM NEGRON Amy Merkes and Jorge Rodriguez
JOSEPH PACE Ronald Roberts
DAMIEN PHELPS Adam Ridge and Ronald Heard
ERIC PHILLIPS George Phillips and Geneva Phillips
BRIAN PRUITT Pat and Roberta McNeely
ERIC RAYFIELD Victoria Cowan
GERALD RICE Heddie Johnson, Dante, Wendell and Shekitta
WENDELL ROBINSON Vernell Jones
KEON ROSE Bobby Joe “Chip” Connors II
JAIME RUIZ Julio Rodriguez
KEITH SANDERS Darnell Love and Jeryl Jones
PETER SAUNDERS Elisa Totoni
DAVID STAFFORD Cherie L. Gillson
LAROD STYLES Yousef Ali and Khalid Ibrahim
NICHOLAS TANG Steveson Earl and Arthur Lee Loud
MELKY TERRY Gracie Mercatante and John.
MICHAEL WAGES victims names not known, Cook County
CARL WILLIAMS Reginald Wilson, Felicia Lewis
CONTRELL WILLIAMS Cary “Matt” Whitacre and Shane Storm; Sheri Ellis
JOSEPH WINGARD April Fields and Shedrene Handy
ERIC ROBLES Peter and Diana Robles.
