48 Murder Defendants In Will County Await Trial

JOLIET, IL — A total of 48 people are charged with murder in Will County as of 2022, an extensive Joliet Patch review of court files found. Ten of the murder defendants were charged in 2017 or earlier. Another seven defendants waiting to stand trial at the Will County Courthouse were charged with murder back in 2018, and one case dates back more than a decade.

Only five of the 48 murder defendants have a trial date scheduled. Two additional murder defendants have upcoming pretrial hearings to set the date for their trials.

Back in October 2020, Joliet Patch published a similar article, headlined: 47 Murder Defendants In Will County Await Trial: Slow Justice?

Seventeen months later, the number of people facing pending murder charges in Will County has not changed much. The number has increased by one.

One out of every six murder defendants in Will County is being represented by downtown Joliet criminal defense lawyer Chuck Bretz of Bretz, Flynn & Associates. Court records indicate that Bretz added two more first-degree murder defendants in 2021: Joliet's Cristian Ortiz-Arias, who was 17 at the time of his arrest, and Abraham Bibian II, who was 19 at the time of his arrest.

Bretz's six additional murder defendants are: Jeremy Boshears, charged in November 2017; Peter Zabala, charged in November 2018; Joliet's Matt Rutledge, charged in December 2019; Patrick Gleason, whose photo is at the top of this article, charged in March 2018; Malik Bridges, charged in February 2020; and Manuel Escamilla, charged in June 2017.

It's possible that Bretz will be getting rid of Escamilla after repesenting him the past five years on Joliet triple murder charges. Court records indicate that Escamilla rejected a plea agreement on Jan. 24 proposed by the Will County State's Attorney Office in January, and Bretz subsequently notified the judge of his intention to withdraw as Escamilla's private defense attorney.

The murder case against Escamilla was continued for further pretrial matters and Bretz is still listed as the attorney of record as of Wednesday.

Of the 48 people charged with murder, two have posted bail: former Joliet District 86 teacher Michael Kazecki and Bibian. After spending three weeks in the Will County Jail in 2018, Kazecki has remained free for more than three years now after being accused of beating his wife to death inside their Joliet house on McDonough Street. Kazecki's bail was set at $2 million. As for Bibian, his bail was set at $1 million.

Joliet Patch has tracked down all of the pending murder cases still awaiting trial at the Will County Courthouse. The list is extensive and includes a short summary of all the cases.

Murder charges filed in 2011:

Mark Lewis, now 62, of Lakemoor, Ill., charged with the murder of his 59-year-old sister, Cathleen Lewis, who was found beaten to death in her Naperville home in June 2011. In 2013, Patch reported that it was determined Lewis, of Lakemoor, was mentally unfit to stand trial on four murder charges, one charge of home invasion/cause injury, one count of residential burglary as well as one count of identity theft, according to Will County online court records.

What's next? Mental fitness status hearing Feb. 9 in Courtroom 402 of Judge Dan Rippy.

Murder charges filed in 2014:

Mark Ballard, now 50, of Romeoville's Healy Avenue, has remained in county jail since Aug. 11, 2014. His bail is $2.5 million. He and his 15-year-old son Adam Ballard were both charged with attacking 55-year-old Richard Pollack with a baseball bat, killing him, in August 2014. Adam Ballard was only 15 years old at the time of the neighborhood attack out in the street.

What's next? Hearing Feb. 22 in Courtroom 502 of Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak.

Murder charges filed in 2015:

Rodolfo Trujillo, now 25, of Reflection Court, a Plainfield mailing address, remains in custody since Joliet police arrested him Nov. 9, 2015 in the deadly stabbing of 25-year-old Rudy Valdez. Patch reported that the stabbing centered around a dispute over $40 of marijuana. Trujillo's bail remains at $1.5 million.

What's next? Pretrial hearing March 30 in Courtroom 404 of Judge Vincent Cornelius.

Murder charges filed in 2016:

Amari Morgan, now 23, of Houston Avenue in Joliet, has remained in custody since March 11, 2016, facing a $1.5 million bail, and his brother Blaique Morgan, now 25, has remained in custody since Jan. 8, 2016. The Morgan brothers are charged in the slaying of their next door neighbor, 62-year-old Robert Bielec. The Joliet man made a sexual remark to his 15-year-old next-door neighbor, prompting her older brother to bash his head in with a baseball bat, a Will County prosecutor said back in 2016.

What's next? Amari Morgan has pretrial hearing Feb. 23 in Courtoom 404 of Judge Cornelius. Blaique Morgan has a pretrial hearing Feb. 24 before Judge Cornelius.

2017 Will County murder cases still awaiting trial:

Jeremy Boshears, now 36, of Coal City. Bretz contends that 24-year-old homicide victim Katie Kearns fatally shot herself inside the Joliet Outlaws clubhouse while she was high on drugs. According to defense filings, "a good faith argument exists where the victim ... took her own life by raising a gun to her head and angled her head towards the gun and committed suicide, allowing the bullet to travel upwards into the ceiling. The defendant-alleged subsequent actions may have flowed from a fear that no one would believe what really happened."

What's next? Due to several scheduling conflicts, Boshears' jury trial has been delayed until April 14 in Courtroom 405 of Judge David Carlson. The jury trial may take two to three weeks.

Shanquilla Garvey, now 28, no bail, arrested by Joliet police Dec. 20, 2017. That day, 8-month-old Cherish Freeman's mother threw her child with force into a dresser, then she shook the child, causing her death, according to the Will County State's Attorney's Office. Garvey was living at the Bel-Air Motel with three of her children for several months, Patch has previously reported.

Cherish suffered serious head trauma including multiple skull fractures. She was airlifted from St. Joe's hospital in Joliet to the Oak Lawn trauma center, where she died four days later.

What's next? Garvey has a jury trial set for June 20 in Courtroom 402 of Judge Dan Rippy.

Manuel Escamilla, now 22, has remained in custody since June 9, 2017, and his bail is $10.6 million. Two codefendants, Andy Cerros and Eric Reya, already pleaded guility and were sentenced. Escamilla is accused of firing a flare gun that engulfed the two-story structure on Joliet's North Center Street, claiming three lives: Regina Rogers, 28; her 11-month-old daughter, Royalty Rogers; and Jacquetta Rogers, 29. The intended target of the fire was Joliet gang member Rakeem "Rocky" Venson, formerly of Milwaukee, who managed to escape the fire while everyone else inside the house perished, according to prosecutors.

What's next? On Feb. 17, Escamilla has a hearing in Courtroom 404 of Judge Vince Cornelius on the matter of setting a trial date.

Toddrick Pinnick, now 27, of the 2600 block of Joliet's Basswood Road, has remained in custody since Joliet police arrested him Dec. 30, 2016. His bail is $2 million. Brian Byrd, 24, was fatally shot in the head as he drove down Broadway near Ingalls Avenue the afternoon of Dec. 23, 2016. Byrd's aunt Samone Meadows said he was on his way home after Christmas shopping.

What's next? Pinnick has a hearing March 29 in Courtroom 503 of Judge Carmen Goodman on the matter of setting a trial date.

Harold Robinson, now 54, of Barclay Drive in Bolingbrook, has remained in custody facing a $2 million bail since June 4, 2017. Bolingbrook police charged Robinson with the deadly stabbing in the 500 block of Jordan Way of 23-year-old Corey L. Spradley.

What's next? Robinson's case is set for jury trial May 2 in Courtroom 503 of Judge Carmen Goodman.

2018 Will County murder cases still awaiting trial:

Elijah Watson, now 26, of Joliet's NorthWest Circle Drive, and Anthony Francimore, now 23, of Joliet's Dougall Road, were both arrested by Will County Sheriff's Office on Oct. 29, 2018 in connection with the deadly shooting of 20-year-old Nathan Ballard in the 500 block of Joliet Township's Fox Street. "Detectives would later learn that the suspects in this case intended on robbing the victim, Nathan Ballard, and upon doing so and while driving away from the victim, several shots were fired in the vicinity of Ballard by Elijah Watson. Ballard suffered a single gunshot wound to the upper chest, from what appears to be from a semi-automatic 9 mm handgun," Will County police announced. Bail for Watson and Francimore is $5 million for each of them.

What's next? Francimore has a pretrial hearing March 9 in Courtroom 404 of Judge Cornelius. Watson retained private counsel in December and he has a pretrial hearing Feb. 25 before Judge Cornelius in Courtroom 404.

Michael Kazecki, now 42, is one of only two first-degree murder defendants in Will County who remains free since his family posted 10 percent of his $2 million bail after Joliet police arrested him in the Aug. 7, 2018, death of his wife, Becky. The couple were both teachers for Joliet District 86. Becky died days after being found unconscious inside the family's Joliet house in the 700 block of McDonough Street. Michael Kazecki was a teacher for the past seven years at Washington Junior High School. Prosecutors told the judge that Michael Kazecki punched, kicked and struck his wife over the course of three days, from Aug. 4 to 6, 2018. Before she died, Michael Kazecki called 911 and told Joliet authorities that his wife had suffered from alcohol poisoning or that she just passed out, authorities said.

What's next? Last fall, with Judge Rippy's permission, Kazecki moved away from Joliet and relocated to Oak Lawn. His next pretrial hearing is set for April 11 in Rippy's Courtroom 402.

Peter Zabala, now 46, of Arborsedge Drive in Joliet, remains in custody without bail in the October 2018 slaying of Joliet resident Ashley Tucker, 24, whose remains were recovered from a burn barrel north of Joliet, in Lockport Township.

What's next? Pretrial motion hearings are set for Feb. 14 in Courtroom 405 of Judge Dave Carlson.

George Hooper, now 38, of West Joyce Court in Plainfield, was charged in July 2018 in connection with the beating death of a Rochelle woman found slain outside a Romeoville warehouse. Jennifer Underhill, 42, was found lying in the grass in the 1800 block of Normantown Road after Romeoville officers responded to a related report of a domestic incident, police said. Hooper's bail is $5 million and he has remained in custody since July 27, 2018.

What's next? A jury trial is set to start June 21 in Courtroom 404 of Judge Cornelius.

Christopher Beale, now 33, of 1300 block of Joliet's Arthur Avenue, has remained in custody since Oct. 1, 2018, facing $2 million in bail. Joliet police arrested Beale in the fatal stabbing of his estranged 28-year-old lover, Marcedes Flakes. She was stabbed in the back with a knife and she collapsed in the street outside the Fairview public housing projects. The knife pierced her heart.

What's next? Beale has chosen to serve as his own lawyer in his murder defense. He has a status hearing Feb. 9 in Courtroom 402 of Judge Rippy.

Patrick Gleason, now 59, of Dearborn Street in Crest Hill, has remained in custody since March 11, 2018 facing $10 million bail in connection with the Izzy's bar shooting that killed bartender Daniel Rios. Gleason entered the bar wearing a mask, shooting Rios in the back of the head and also shooting the bar owner's son, who survived the gunshot wound to his stomach, prosecutors say.

What's next? Gleason has a status hearing Feb. 10 in front of Judge Rippy in Courtroom 402.

2019 Will County murder cases still awaiting trial:

Dave Luellen, now 27, in custody since July 25, 2019, facing $2 million bail in the Nov. 5, 2018, gunshot slaying in Crest Hill's 1400 block of Pioneer Road of Aaron Tucker, 20, of Joliet. Tucker was killed inside a car. Luellen lived in the same neighborhood where the killing occurred.

What's next? Luellen's next pretrial hearing is March 22 in Courtroom 402 of Judge Rippy.

Joshua Topaz Anderson, now 23, formerly of Chicago, arrested by Joliet police May 22, 2019, in connection with the April 30, 2019, gunshot death of 36-year-old Crest Hill resident Gregory Brown. The shooting happened in the Joliet Denny's parking lot on Plainfield Road. His bail remains $5 million.

What's next? In November, Anderson hired a private lawyer from Chicago to replace his Will County Public Defender. His next pretrial hearing is Feb. 18 in Courtroom 502.

Christopher Parker, now 25, of Chicago, remains a codefendant along with Anderson in the Joliet Denny's parking lot shooting death of Gregory Brown. Parker has remained in county jail since May 8, 2019. His bail remains $5 million.

What's next? Parker's next pretrial hearing is March 4 before Judge Bertani-Tomczak in Courtroom 502.

Dieontae Sparks, 22, of West Barrington Lane, Plainfield, has remained in custody awaiting charges in the May 30, 2019, deadly shooting of Reginald M. Harris, 28, in Romeoville. The shooting was in the 1700 block of Sierra Trail. Sparks' bail remains set at $2.3 million.

What's next? Sparks' next pretrial is set for May 2 before Judge Bertani-Tomczak in Courtroom 502.

Robert Watson, now 28, formerly of Normal, has reamined custody since March 25, 2019, with bail at $5 million. Watson was charged with the deadly stabbing inside the Harrah's Casino Hotel of a 76-year-old Wisconsin man staying at the hotel in downtown Joliet. At the time of the March 2019 slaying, Watson had been a transient who recently came to Joliet. He had previously lived in Arizona, Hawaii, Wisconsin, Florida and Minnesota. The violent crime was captured on the video surveillance cameras inside the Harrah's Casino.

What's next? March 17 pretrial hearing in Courtroom 405 of Judge Carlson.

Tatiyana Brown, now 21, of Joliet arrested by Joliet police on Sept. 25, 2019, in the March 25, 2019, gunshot homicide of Dimitri Allen in Joliet's 1100 block of Cutter Avenue. He was 26. Brown remains in custody and her bail is $1 million.

What's next? March 2 pretrial in Courtroom 405 of Judge Carlson.

Anthony Hite Jr., now 24, of Bolingbrook, arrested Sept. 25, 2019, in the Aug. 24, 2019, shooting of 23-year-old Brandon Kines, outside his Bolingbrook house in the 300 block of Ottawa Street.

What's next? April 25 jury trial set to begin in Courtroom 503 of Judge Goodman.

Deiontae McMillian, now 27, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, charged in February 2019 by the Will County Sheriff's Office in connection with the November 2018 death of dancer Danica Ford, 22, formerly of Concord, N.C. Ford and McMillian were acquaintances and she was working in the Schaumburg area. Her body was found Nov. 12, 2018 in a remote stretch of woodlands on Joliet's West Jefferson Street near Woodlawn Cemetery. McMillian was arrested in North Carolina in December 2018 and remains unable to post his $4 million bail.

What's next? Motions hearing set for Feb. 10 in Courtroom 503 of Judge Goodman.

Jonathan Middono, now 32, formerly of Plainfield Road, Crest Hill, arrested by Channahon police on June 3, 2019, in connection with the death of his 10-week-old baby girl. Patch reported that Middono, his wife, the little baby and their other child, had moved just moved from Channahon Manor Motel off Route 6 and I-55 to another area motel, the Crest Hill Inn on Plainfield Road, on May 30, 2019. Channahon police have said they believe the child was harmed in Crest Hill. Middono remains in custody unable to post his $2 million bail.

What's next? Final pretrial set for Feb. 9 in Courtroom 503 of Judge Goodman.

William Vera, now 35, of Glacier Ridge Drive, Joliet, charged with setting an intentional fire that killed Vera's 87-year-old grandmother Teresa Collado at her two-story house, 1906 Glacier Ridge Drive, on March 22, 2019. Vera's bail remains $1 million. At Vera's first court appearance, Joliet Patch reported that Vera confessed to his crime. "I did this because I have a mental disability," the Will County prisoner blurted out during that courtroom hearing.

What's next? Mental fitness status set for Feb. 10 in Courtroom 503 of Judge Goodman.

Matthew Rutledge, now 39, 800 block of Joliet's Sherwood Place, remains in custody since Dec. 21, 2019, in connection with the sidewalk shooting death of 38-year-old Quentin Woods of Joliet. The afternoon shooting occurred in Joliet's Cathedral Area. Rutledge's bail remains $2.5 million. A 35-year-old woman was shot once in the chest and she survived the shooting.

What's next? Pretrial hearing set for Feb. 24 before Judge Goodman in Courtroom 503.

2020 Will County murder cases still awaiting trial:

Malik Bridges, now 26, was arrested by Joliet in July in connection with the 2018 shooting death of Eric Ervins, 24, at Joliet's now-demolished Fairview Public Housing projects. His total bail is $2.8 million.

What's next? Pretrial hearing March 21 in Courtroom 404 of Judge Cornelius.

Nathaniel Hill, 42, of the Pioneer Road apartment units, Crest Hill, was arrested by Joliet police in connection with the previous night's shooting of Derrick William Scott, 32, of Joliet. Scott suffered multiple gunshot wounds as he was standing on the front steps of a Joliet house around midnight in the 1100 block of Richards Street. Hill's bail remains $5 million.

What's next? Pretrial hearing Feb. 18 before Judge Rippy in Courtroom 402.

Tommie McDonald, 43, 1000 block of Joliet's Harrison Avenue, remains in custody facing $10 million bail, charged with committing the Feb. 26, 2020, double murder on Joliet's South Chicago Street of 53-year-old Bernard Marble and 45-year-old Tracy L. Williams, both of Joliet. The two homicide victims were fatally shot inside Williams' vehicle.

What's next? McDonald's next pretrial hearing is April 19 before Judge Rippy in Courtroom 402.

Dartavius Payton, 26, Reverend Walton Drive, Lockport, arrested by Joliet in connection with the April 28, 2020, gun slaying of 20-year-old Todd Taylor in the 300 block of Grant Avenue. Bail is $2.5 million, and Payton has remained in the county jail since July 5, 2020.

What's next? Pretrial hearing set for Feb. 9 before Judge Carlson in Courtroom 405.

Kevin A. Johnson, now 18, of Harvey was charged in June 2020 with the deadly shooting of 19-year-old New Lenox resident Charles Baird. On May 11, 2020, Baird was shot during an attempt to steal his car at Circle K gas station, 471 Nelson Road, and died from his injuries two days later.

What's next? Johnson has a pretrial hearing Feb. 9 in Courtroom 502 before Judge Bertani-Tomczak.

Richard Proctor, 27, Steger, charged with the New Year's Day stabbing death of Ryan Connell, whose body was found inside a home on Chicago Road in Steger on New Year's Day. Police said a fight appeared to have led to the stabbing. Proctor's bail is set at $2.5 million.

What's next? Proctor's next pretrial hearing is Feb. 10 before Judge Carlson in Courtroom 405.

Justin Regular, 21, University Park, arrested in connection with the Jan. 6, 2020, slaying of University Park resident Chikiris G. Murphy, 23. Bail remains set at $2.5 million.

What's next? Regular's has a pretrial hearing on discovery matters set for Feb. 15 before Judge Jones in Courtroom 501.

Dwight Watkins III, now 25, Plainfield mailing address, was charged with first-degree murder more than four months after a 21-year-old Joliet resident was gunned down during daylight at the Taco Bell restaurant on Plainfield Road in Crest Hill. The Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow has charged with Watkins with two counts of murder and one count of aggravated battery in connection with the homicide of William Spruell.

What's next? Jury trial set for June 21 in Courtroom 503 of Judge Goodman. Watkins is being represented by the Tomczak Law Group.

Jorge Rosas Jr., now 43 of Joliet's Baker Avenue, bail remains $6 million. Joliet police charged Rosas in connection with the Oct. 26, 2020, deadly shooting of 25-year-old Omar Perez-Garcia. The young man from Romeoville was killed inside his car parked in the 100 block of Seeser Street, in the St. Patrick's Neighborhood Area. The shooting happened around midnight. Last November, Rosas retained a new private defense attorney from Chicago, David Drwencki of DRD Law after Joliet criminal defense lawyer Chuck Bretz got rid of him last May.

What's next: Pretrial hearing is set for Feb. 18 before Judge Rippy in Courtroom 402.

2021 Will County murder cases awaiting trial:

Derrell Draper, now 39, of Joliet's Hollow Glen Court. Bail remains at $6 million. The Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow filed six felony counts against Draper in connection with the overnight killing at the CenterPoint Intermodal Center in Elwood. Elwood police have said that homicide victim Bobby Bigger of Shorewood and Draper had just finished their shift at the Home Depot warehouse where they worked for a third-party vendor. The killing happened along a stretch of Baseline Road before 3:30 a.m. Bigger was fatally shot as he was driving home from work.

Abraham Bibian, now 20. Bibian and a 26-year-old Joliet woman, Paola Diaz, are both charged with first-degree murder, and Bibian is also charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. According to court documents submitted by Assistant Will County State's Attorney Peter Wilkes, 18-year-old Jwaun Latrell Jones was fatally shot in the head as he sat inside a vehicle driving westbound on Western Avenue at North Bluff Street. The Joliet homicide was near the Cass Street Bridge over the Des Plaines River.

After spending six months in county detention, Bibian was set free Oct. 13, 2021, after posting 10 percent of his $1 million bail. His mother came up with a $100,000 deposit to secure the release of her son, who lives with her in the 1200 block of Joliet's Edge Hill Avenue.

What's next? March 11 pretrial hearing in Courtroom 405 of Judge Carlson.

Paola Diaz, now 27, of the 400 block of Joliet's Oneida Street. She and Abraham Bibian are co-defendants each charged with first-degree murder in the April 5, 2021, shooting death of 18-year-old Jwaun Jones. Diaz had her $1 million bail reduced to $500,000 last September by Judge Carlson. However, Diaz remains unable to come up with $50,000 cash, which is 10 percent.

What's next? Diaz has her next pretrial hearing Feb. 14 in Courtroom 405 before Carlson.

Cristian Ortiz-Arias, now 18, of the 200 block of Joliet's Lincoln Street, is charged with killing 17-year-old Joliet teenager Diego Arriaga last May. The homicide victim was found in the back parking lot of the Blue Kangaroo Laundromat at 606 East Cass St. Bail for Ortiz-Arias remains set at $3 million.

What's next? His next pretrial hearing is set for March 21 before Judge Rippy in Courtroom 402.

Barry Lee Whelpley, now 77, of Mounds View, Minnesota, faces four counts of first-degree murder in connection with the July 7, 1972, slaying of Naperville teenager Julie Hanson. Whelpley has retained private defense lawyer, Terry Ekl of Lisle. Ekl has represented defendants in several high-profile Chicago area criminal cases. Bail remains at $10 million.

What's next? Whelpley had a pretrial hearing Tuesday before Judge Carlson in Courtroom 405. The next hearing is 11 a.m. March 15.

Patrick Otchere Jr., now 19, of Romeoville's Honeytree Drive. Bail is set at $2 million for Otchere who was taken into custody by Romeoville police on Aug. 27, 2021. Otchere is charged with second-degree murder and several additional felonies. Police received a call reporting shots fired at 2:04 a.m. in the 700 block of Honeytree Drive. When they arrived, officers found Zamir Williams, 20, dead with a gunshot wound. Police said the shooting happened following an argument between Williams and Otchere, who knew each other.

What's next? Otchere has a pretrial hearing Feb. 17 in Courtroom 404 of Judge Cornelius.

Alvin Green, 43, of Fairmont Avenue, Lockport, faces $3 million bail. Green was booked into custody by the Will County Sheriff's Office on Sept. 1, 2021, after deputies responded to Oak Avenue for a deadly shooting in Lockport Township. Witnesses had called 911 and told police that the victim, identified as Patrick Taylor, 39, of Lockport, was walking down the street when a man in a red Ford conversion van shot Taylor.

What's next? Green's next pretrial hearing is set for Feb. 24 in Courtroom 403.

Anthony Harames, 31, of Joliet's Natoma Court. Bail remains $5,150,000 in connection with the deadly stabbing of his uncle, Timothy Bokholdt, 53, inside the Joliet house on Natoma Court. One day after a six-hour standoff with Joliet police, Harames led Joliet detectives to his missing uncle's body that had been dumped in the sprawling Woodlawn Cemetery along Joliet's West Jefferson Street, authorities said. Police believe the homicide happened around Nov. 17, 2021. The uncle died from a stabbing inside the house in the 900 block of Natoma Court, police said.

What's next? A mental fitness status is set for March 3 in Courtroom 405 of Judge Carlson.

Joskar Ramos, 18, Thomas Lopez, 21, and his brother Jeremy Lopez, 19, face 16 criminal charges in connection with the deadly shootings at a Halloween party on Joliet's east side. The three young men from Joliet were charged by the Will County Sheriff's Office with multiple counts of first-degree murder in the Oct. 31, 2021, shooting deaths of Holly Matthews, 22, and Jonathan Ceballos, 22. Judge Carlson set bail at $10 million for all three young men and told them they need to post 10 percent, which is $1 million cash, in order to regain their freedom while awaiting their trial.

What's next? Jeremy Lopez has a pretrial hearing March 3 in Courtroom 404 of Judge Cornelius. He has retained Chicago lawyer Robert Pervan as his defense counsel. Brother Thomas Lopez has retained attorney Patrick Campanelli of Palos Hills as his defense counsel. Thomas Lopez has a pretrial hearing in Courtroom 404 on March 3. Ramos has a public defender and his case had a Feb. 9 pretrial hearing in Courtoom 402 of Judge Rippy.