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Moments before she was slain last week on Chicago's Southwest Side, 17-year-old Charinez Jefferson begged the gunman not to shoot because she was pregnant, prosecutors said today.
Despite her plea, Timothy Jones, 18, opened fire on Jefferson anyway, yelling an expletive at her as he shot her in the head, prosecutors said. He then stood over her as she lay on the ground and fired several more times, striking her in the chest and back.
Jefferson was pronounced dead a short time later, but doctors were able to successfully deliver her baby boy, who remained in critical condition today, Assistant State's Attorney John Dillon said.
"Tests are expected to be performed to determine whether the child has any brain activity, as there are concerns over the child possibly suffering from oxygen deprivation after the victim had been shot," Dillon told Judge Laura Sullivan.
Sullivan denied bond for Jones, 18, who was charged with first-degree murder in the Aug. 16 slaying.
“I’m happy that he’s been caught before we even put her in the ground,” said Jefferson’s aunt, Devorah Hope. “This young man sent a message on the streets that an unarmed pregnant woman that’s not violent to nobody, it’s not safe.”
Jones had seen Jefferson walking with a rival gang member in the 3000 block of West 64th Street and approached them in a car, Dillon said. He got out of the vehicle and fired at least one shot at the rival, who ran off, leaving Jefferson to fend for herself. After begging Jones for mercy, Jefferson was shot at "point-blank range," Dillon said.
Jones, of the 6300 block of South Rockwell Street, was arrested at his home Saturday after numerous witnesses identified him as the killer, according to information from prosecutors and court documents.
A police source said that Jones was a "stick-up man" well known to area police.
At the time of the shooting, Jones was serving 2 years of probation for a 2010 burglary conviction, Dillon said. He also has a "lengthy" juvenile record, including convictions for unlawful use of a weapon, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, and burglary, Dillon said.
Outside court, Jones' family members denied he is a gang member and said he could not be involved in Jefferson's murder because he has had trouble walking since being shot in the leg a few weeks ago.
"My condolences go out to the young lady and her family, but we know 100 percent that they got the wrong guy," said Jones' cousin, Stanley Jones, 36. "He can barely walk."
Courtroom personnel and deputies in charge of Jones in the lockup said he did not appear to be limping or request any walking aides such as crutches or a wheelchair.
Hope said that she pledged to attend every court hearing for her niece, though she could not bring herself to go inside the courtroom on Monday.
“I was too emotional, I was too upset to deal with that at this moment,” she said, reached by telephone after the hearings. “I’m angry because of what he’s done. Because we can’t bring Charinez back and we’ve got a baby that’s fighting his life.”
Hope said she’s trying to be positive for her sister.
“I haven’t eaten anything since this happened; just drink water and pray and listen to positive music to keep me in a positive mood so I can stand there with my sister, because we still got some living to do,” Hope said.
jmeisner@tribune.com
cdrhodes@tribune.com
WTF!
