Federal Jury Finds Felon Guilty Of Firearm Possession In Evanston

EVANSTON, IL — An Evanston man faces up to a decade in federal prison after a jury this week found him guilty of having a gun illegally.

Darius Morales was convicted Thursday of one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm following a three-day trial in federal court in Chicago.

Morales, 31, was arrested on May 8, 2019, while leaving the scene of a crash at the corner of Sherman Avenue and Lincoln Street, authorities said. He was accused of being passenger in a Jeep that crashed into the front yard fence of a home that afternoon, leading to a brief precautionary lockdown at local schools.

The crash followed a brief police pursuit. After an Evanston police officer on patrol heard what sounded like five gunshots coming from an alley in the 2100 block of Dewey Avenue and tried to pull over the Jeep as it was leaving the alley, police said at the time.

The chase was called off, but police soon learned it had been found abandoned. Officers found a Glock .40 caliber black semi-automatic pistol left behind on the fence at the scene of the crash. Morales was arrested on Central Avenue, about four blocks northeast of the crash site.

According to prosecutors, Morales matched a description provided by a witness, was seen emerging from a gangway near the crash site and was "breathing heavily, sweating, and appeared tired."

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Prosecutors said Morales' fingerprints and DNA were found on the gun. His DNA was also found on a water bottle in the Jeep, and investigators found the shell casings in the alley had been discharged by the gun, according to court filings.

Morales was initially charged in Cook County court with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and armed habitual criminal, but federal prosecutors decided take the lead on the case.

Six months after his arrest, a federal grand jury indicted him on one count of being a felon in possession of a weapon.

Morales has multiple previous felony convictions and faced pending charges of aggravated battery of a person over 60 and more than $10,000 in damage at the time of his arrest. The driver was also arrested and charged, but only in state court.

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Both the prosecution and the defense agreed that Morales was a convicted felon and knew it at the time of his arrest. Both sides also stipulated to the fact that no gunshot residue was found on the hands of either Morales or the car's driver.

Defense attorneys unsuccessfully tried to get evidence relating to the Dewey Avenue shooting to be excluded from the case, arguing that the government was unable to prove Morales "had anything to do with the alleged discharge."

Judge Amy St. Eve, of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, was appointed to preside over the trial. St. Eve scheduled a sentencing hearing for Nov. 29. Morales faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Earlier: Two Charged Over Evanston Shooting, Police Pursuit And Crash