Derrion Albert's family has watched the videotape of his murder near Fenger High School dozens of times in court over the last several months, the shaky images of that day in September 2009 playing out repeatedly at regular speed, in slow motion and frame by frame.
First the vicious downswing of a wooden board slams the boyish-looking sophomore in the head. Then a punch to the face leaves him sprawled on the pavement. Finally, the mob moves in, kicking and stomping him into unconsciousness. The images never change.
On Tuesday, the family was in court again as the fourth of five defendants charged in the attack was convicted of Albert's murder — made infamous by the grainy video that went viral and came to symbolize the problem of youth violence in Chicago.
A Cook County jury deliberated for about 90 minutes before convicting Eugene Riley, now 20, of first-degree murder. The videotape showed Riley strike the semiconscious victim with a board.
With one more defendant left to stand trial, Albert's grandfather, Norman Golliday, said family members were looking forward to putting the ordeal behind them.
"This whole process is toxic for us, going through it over and over again," Golliday said in the lobby of the Criminal Courts Building after the verdict. "The healing won't start until we are done with this."
The months of court hearings have been particularly hard on Albert's mother, Anjanette, Golliday said. She has attended every day of the trials, excusing herself only during graphic testimony about the massive head injuries suffered by her son.
Riley's family, including his mother, Sherry Smith, and brother Vashion Bullock, declined to speak to reporters after his conviction.
Riley, who was 18 at the time of the murder, testified Monday that he got caught up in the melee between his friends from the Altgeld Gardens public housing project and Fenger students from the "Ville" neighborhood near the South Side school. Riley said he was scared and swung the board in self-defense and to protect his brother, who had been attacked by the mob.
During closing arguments, Assistant Public Defender David McMahon urged the jury to judge the chaotic scene in its entirety. By slowing down the video and presenting some scenes frame by frame, prosecutors gave a "distorted" view of the brief sequence in which Riley struck Albert, McMahon said.
"For five seconds out of this whole scene, Eugene Riley makes that mistake," McMahon said. "It's a reaction."
In her rebuttal, Assistant State's Attorney Kathy Bankhead said the video showed that Riley's actions contributed to Albert's death.
"A 'mistake' is not a defense," Bankhead said. "'It happened too quickly' is not a defense."
Under Illinois' felony murder statute, prosecutors did not need to prove that Riley intended to kill Albert, just that he committed a crime that led to Albert's death — mob action in this case.
Judge Nicholas Ford set sentencing for June 14. Riley faces up to 60 years in prison.
Eric Carson, 18, pleaded guilty in January to Albert's murder and was sentenced to 26 years in prison, while Silvonus Shannon, 21, was convicted at trial and received 32 years. In December, a 15-year-old boy was found guilty of murder in Juvenile Court and will remain imprisoned until his 21st birthday.
The final defendant, Lapoleon Colbert, 20, is scheduled to go on trial this month.
Golliday said he sympathizes with all the young men facing years in custody. But for his family, there is some solace in knowing there is "just one more to go."
"Then we can start to get back to a sense of normalcy," he said. "The hard part is we'll have to do that without Derrion."
First the vicious downswing of a wooden board slams the boyish-looking sophomore in the head. Then a punch to the face leaves him sprawled on the pavement. Finally, the mob moves in, kicking and stomping him into unconsciousness. The images never change.
On Tuesday, the family was in court again as the fourth of five defendants charged in the attack was convicted of Albert's murder — made infamous by the grainy video that went viral and came to symbolize the problem of youth violence in Chicago.
A Cook County jury deliberated for about 90 minutes before convicting Eugene Riley, now 20, of first-degree murder. The videotape showed Riley strike the semiconscious victim with a board.
With one more defendant left to stand trial, Albert's grandfather, Norman Golliday, said family members were looking forward to putting the ordeal behind them.
"This whole process is toxic for us, going through it over and over again," Golliday said in the lobby of the Criminal Courts Building after the verdict. "The healing won't start until we are done with this."
The months of court hearings have been particularly hard on Albert's mother, Anjanette, Golliday said. She has attended every day of the trials, excusing herself only during graphic testimony about the massive head injuries suffered by her son.
Riley's family, including his mother, Sherry Smith, and brother Vashion Bullock, declined to speak to reporters after his conviction.
Riley, who was 18 at the time of the murder, testified Monday that he got caught up in the melee between his friends from the Altgeld Gardens public housing project and Fenger students from the "Ville" neighborhood near the South Side school. Riley said he was scared and swung the board in self-defense and to protect his brother, who had been attacked by the mob.
During closing arguments, Assistant Public Defender David McMahon urged the jury to judge the chaotic scene in its entirety. By slowing down the video and presenting some scenes frame by frame, prosecutors gave a "distorted" view of the brief sequence in which Riley struck Albert, McMahon said.
"For five seconds out of this whole scene, Eugene Riley makes that mistake," McMahon said. "It's a reaction."
In her rebuttal, Assistant State's Attorney Kathy Bankhead said the video showed that Riley's actions contributed to Albert's death.
"A 'mistake' is not a defense," Bankhead said. "'It happened too quickly' is not a defense."
Under Illinois' felony murder statute, prosecutors did not need to prove that Riley intended to kill Albert, just that he committed a crime that led to Albert's death — mob action in this case.
Judge Nicholas Ford set sentencing for June 14. Riley faces up to 60 years in prison.
Eric Carson, 18, pleaded guilty in January to Albert's murder and was sentenced to 26 years in prison, while Silvonus Shannon, 21, was convicted at trial and received 32 years. In December, a 15-year-old boy was found guilty of murder in Juvenile Court and will remain imprisoned until his 21st birthday.
The final defendant, Lapoleon Colbert, 20, is scheduled to go on trial this month.
Golliday said he sympathizes with all the young men facing years in custody. But for his family, there is some solace in knowing there is "just one more to go."
"Then we can start to get back to a sense of normalcy," he said. "The hard part is we'll have to do that without Derrion."
No comments:
Post a Comment