Joliet Man on Trial For Hickory Street Nightmare Murders Had No 'Evil Messianic Power,' Says His Lawyer

The alleged ringleader of the Nightmare on Hickory Street murders did not possess “some kind of evil messianic power” the night two young men were strangled to death in a Joliet house, his lawyer said.

Attorney Mike Renzi conceded it was a “tragedy” that 22-year-olds Terrance Rankins and Eric Glover were killed that night in January 2013, but suggested they were slain by some other means than at the direction of his client, 26-year-old Joshua Miner.

“Two men are dead and society demands someone must pay,” Renzi said.

The trial to see whether Miner will pay by spending the rest of his life behind bars began Tuesday morning. The day started with statements from Renzi and Prosecutor John Connor. Five Joliet police officers then testified.

Along with Miner, Bethany McKee, 20, Adam Landerman, 21, and Alisa Massaro, 20 also were arrested and charged with murdering Rankins and Glover.

Rankins and Glover were killed after Massaro and McKee lured them to Massaro’s home on Hickory Street, according to police reports obtained exclusively by Patch. Not long after Rankins and Glover arrived, Miner and Landerman throttled the two men to death, the reports said.

Miner and his friends hatched the plot to murder Rankins and Glover because they were broke and wanted to buy cigarettes and alcohol, prosecutor Tricia McKenna said during McKee’s murder trial.

McKee was convicted and will be sentenced to life in prison next month. Landerman, the son of Joliet police Sgt. Julie Larson, remains locked up in the Will County jail while he awaits his own murder trial.

Massaro was a lot luckier. She slipped out of the murder case in May when she copped a plea to reduced charges of robbery and concealing homicides. In exchange, she agreed to testify against her three friends. She already did so at McKee’s trial.

When she was on the witness stand, Massaro denied having sex with Miner on top of Rankins’ and Glover’s dead bodies but a video of her police interrogation showed her admitting to it.

Three of the police officers called as witnesses Tuesday morning told of Miner twice admitting to strangling one of the dead men. Miner claimed Rankins was attempting to rape one of the women so he attacked him, said Officer Bruce Trevillian. Glover then kicked Miner so Landerman strangled him to death, Miner explained, according to Trevillian.

Two officers told of finding Landerman in the basement of the house. He refused to come from behind a stacked piece of paneling until the police went in to get him, said Officer Michael DeVito.

Landerman was smiling when he emerged, DeVito said. Landerman claimed Miner told him to hide in the basement because he was underage and had been drinking, said Officer Terry Higgins.

Prior to the start of the trial Tuesday, Connor and defense attorney Lea Norbut argued about keeping Miner in chains. Prosecutors had submitted a written request to keep Miner shackled and said little about it during the hearing.

Norbut said the prosecution based its request on an “incident at the jail” and allegations in petitions for protective orders that were not granted.

Judge Gerald Kinney refused to have Miner remain shackled during the trial.

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