NAPERVILLE, IL — A Bellwood man has been found guilty in the 2021 murder of Coreon Davis in Naperville. Robert Chatham-Jones was convicted of first degree murder by a jury after a three-day trial.
Naperville police had been called to a parking lot on Amersale Drive just after 2:10 p.m. on Aug. 29, 2021 for a report that shots had been fired.
When they got to the scene, police found two .40-caliber shell casings on the ground, along with $100 in cash.
Shortly after, Aurora police reported that they had found a car with two gunshot victims inside. Davis, who was identified as one of the victims, had been shot in the head. The other victim was shot in the leg.
Davis and the other victim were taken to a nearby hospital before Davis was transported to Loyola University Medical Center, where he later died.
Police say Chatham-Jones had met Davis and another person at the parking lot to buy a gun. Davis told Chatham-Jones he was "short" in the amount he paid him, which police say led to a "struggle" in which Chatham-Jones fired two shots.
Chatham-Jones then fled the scene and was arrested in Aurora the next day.
"What began as an illegal gun sale quickly turned violent resulting in a senseless loss of life," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.
He added, "The murder of Coreon Davis serves as a stark reminder that guns in the hands of those willing to use violence can result in deadly, irreversible consequences. I commend the Naperville Police Department for their outstanding police work that resulted in Mr. Chatman-Jones' apprehension just one day after the murder. While no number of years can bring Mr. Davis back to those who loved him, it is my hope that yesterday's guilty verdict will offer some measure of solace to those he left behind."
Chatham-Jones faces a sentence of 45 years to life in prison.
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