Joliet Murderer On Parole Gets Arrested On City's East Side

JOLIET, IL - A Joliet man who was found guilty of first-degree murder in May 2012 and sentenced to 83 years in prison, only to have his conviction overturned by an appeals court, now finds himself back in custody. The Joliet Police Department arrested Jesse Bonds, now 34, around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. Bonds has been charged with being an armed habitual criminal, armed violence, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, unlawful possession of a gun by a street gang member and possession of a controlled substance by a street gang member.

A 22-year-old woman from Crest Hill who was in his car, Brianna Cho, was charged with possessing meth, according to Joliet Police. The pair were driving near Collins and East Clay Streets, on the city's east side, when officers stopped their black Buick LaCrosse for traffic infractions, police say.

"The driver, Bonds, was on parole for murder and was searched due to his parole custody status. He was found to have multiple bags of cocaine and multiple bags of an unknown brown substance yet to be tested," Joliet Police said.

In addition, Joliet Police say they found a black gun in the center console when they searched the Buick. As for the passenger, police say they searched Cho and found methamphetamine in her possession.

A 2015 article from the Joliet Patch reported that Bonds was set to go on trial for a third time for murder due to a Will County judge wrongly denying his request to represent himself. However, a 2016 Herald-News article indicated that Bonds subsequently pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder, and under the plea bargain, Bonds would be eligible for parole in March 2018.

Joliet Police arrest reports indicate Bonds was living in Plainfield in the 22300 block of Old Renwick Road.

Mugshot of Jesse Bonds and Brianna Cho via Will County Sheriff