Parkwood Drive Slayings: Lawyer Says 2 Clients Are Innocent

JOLIET, IL — Will County Judge Art Smigielski set bail Wednesday afternoon for two young men charged with home invasion and criminal trespassing in connection with Saturday's early morning shooting of four people on Joliet's far east side.

The shootings occurred in the 1100 block of Parkwood Drive inside a third-floor apartment, killing Joliet resident Treveal Barfield, 18, and Naperville resident Treshon Holland, 24.

At Wednesday's bail hearing, 20-year-old Lockport resident Jhakiren Pickens and 21-year-old Joliet resident Tenzell Terry appeared over a video feed set up at the Will County Jail where they remain in detention.

The judge set bail at $750,000 for Pickens and $1.5 million for Terry.

Robert Lewin, a private criminal defense lawyer from Skokie, told the judge he is representing both young men.

Lewin said Pickens and Terry are each innocent of the four felony charges they are facing, and he assured the judge his clients will be vindicated in the weeks ahead. Both men are charged with three counts of home invasion and one count of criminal trespass to a residence.

"I think the evidence is going to be borne out that they are not guilty of anything," Lewin argued Wednesday.

Authorities are still looking for two other men police called suspects, Michael Frazier and his brother Jeremiah Frazier, according to Crime Stoppers of Will County, and Lewin said it's noteworthy that the Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow has not charged either of his clients with first-degree murder.

Instead, prosecutors say Pickens and Terry shot two other people who were inside the apartment on Parkwood Drive.

There was also a small child inside the apartment during the shooting, prosecutors said. The child was not injured.

At the start of his bail hearing, Pickens spoke up from the video feed at the Will County Jail. He insisted that he did not go inside the Joliet apartment where the two homicides occurred.

"I never went in the house," Pickens yelled.

At that point, Judge Smigielski snapped at the defendant.

"Your lawyer doesn't want you to talk. Usually, it's a good idea" to remain silent, the judge advised Pickens.

According to prosecutors, Pickens and Terry were part of a group of young men who showed up unannounced at the third-floor Pine Ridge Apartments late Friday night.

The visitors were not invited in, but eventually they barged inside by kicking the door open and a shootout occurred inside the apartment unit, according to Wednesday's testimony.

Joliet police recovered about 20 shell casings from the gunfire exchanged inside the apartment, prosecutors told the judge.

As a result of Wednesday's hearing, Pickens will need to come up with $75,000 cash and Terry will need $150,000 cash — 10 percent of the total bail — in order to post bond, Smigielski told them.

Related coverage:

Joliet Police Seek 4 Murder Suspects In Parkwood Drive Slayings