Chicago's Glaring Lack of Criminal Justice Claims Another Victim

Authorities say two Chicago men have finally been charged with the robbery, vehicular hijacking and murder in the case of 17-year-old Anthony Heatherly which took place in Illinois’ Oriole Park neighborhood on April 4th.

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According to prosecutors and court records, Kenyatta Alexander and Tramian Barnes, both 21, were driven by Barnes’ girlfriend to meet Heatherly to buy marijuana from him in the parking lot of a Taco Burrito King on Harlem Avenue.

Barnes instructed his girlfriend to pull her vehicle next to Heatherly’s car, then Barnes and Alexander got into Heatherly’s car. Prosecutors said Alexander, who was in the front passenger seat, shot Heatherly once in the chest. The two men then worked together, opening the driver’s side door and shoving Heatherly out of the vehicle before Barnes got into the driver’s seat and drove away, dragging Heatherly several feet in through the parking lot.

Things like this happen all the time in Chicago, right? The kicker in this case?

One of Heatherly’s murderers was out on bail.

The pending murder charge against Tramian Barnes stems from the Jan. 20, 2014 murder of 19-year-old Alex Anderson. According to court records, Barnes fled Illinois to Georgia before his arrest and was released on Sept. 29, 2015 on a $100,000 bail.

Earlier this month, in a live-streamed press conference, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said, “These people often times get out far too soon to commit the same violent crimes over and over again.”

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And Chicago continues to rack up the body count.

10-year-old Tavon Tanner was one of the 9 people killed among 19 people who were shot on Monday in Chicago. This marked the most homicides in a single day in the Windy City since July 5, 2003, when 10 homicides were recorded.

But at the same time homicides and non-fatal shootings are increasing, the number of arrests continues to decrease.

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With a dismal homicide clearance rate of 20% and a panache for letting murderers out on bail or out of prison for ‘good behavior’, it doesn’t look like criminals in Chicago will end their free reign of terror on the city anytime soon.

Does anyone else see this gross lack of criminal justice in this city as a problem? 

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