Chicago Judge Murdered Outside His Home

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Summary: A Chicago judge was shot and killed outside his home along with another woman with the gunman still at large.

A judge overseeing several high-profile cases was fatally shot outside his home in Chicago Monday morning. Cook County Judge Raymond Myles, 66, was shot outside his home on the Chicago South Side alongside a 52-year-old woman.

  

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The woman, described as a “close associate” of Judge Myles, is expected to recover from her injuries, Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Melissa Staples said. The motive for the attack is not known at this time. Staples said “We’re investigating a multitude of possible leads” including the possibility that he was targeted because of his role as a judge or if robbery was the motivator, although no property appears to have been stolen.

The other victim was leaving her home around 5 a.m. when she encountered the gunman. As Staples explained, “Upon hearing the commotion and the gunshot, Judge Myles exited her residence to investigate.” The two exchanged words and then Myles was shot multiple times.

Judge Myles and the woman regularly meet at 5 a.m. to work out. Staples said, “They would tend to go work out every morning together.” With very little leads to go off, the FBI is offering $25,000 for any information to leads to the arrest of the gunman.

The cases Myles was involved in include the one against William Balfour and a 1993 massacre at a Brown’s Chicken restaurant. Balfour was convicted of killing the mother, brother, and 7-year-old nephew to singer-actress Jennifer Hudson. Balfour, who was Hudson’s brother-in-law at the time, received a life sentence for the three murders that happened on the South Side in 2008. He gave his first public interview just a few months ago to the ABC7 I-Team, claiming the entire trial was a conspiracy and that the 81 trial witnesses were all lying. Balfour was convicted by a jury after deliberating for just over two days.

Balfour has a criminal record going back to when he was 14-years-old, first arrested on charges of heroin possession and possession of a stolen vehicle. He joined the Gangster Disciples gang and would go to jail for attempted murder three years after his first arrest. After serving his time, he was released in 2006 and rekindled a relationship with Julia Hudson, whom he first met in elementary school. The two eloped but were quickly wrapped up in allegations of abuse. Julia told police that he threatened to kill her, and eventually split. Julia’s mother and brother interfered in the relationship in some way.

The Brown’s Chicken and Pasta restaurant massacre occurred in Palatine, a suburb of Chicago on January 8, 1993. Two assailants stole $2,000 from the restaurant and then killed seven employees, including the owners, Richard and Lynn Ehlenfeldt. The murder victims were found in the restaurant’s cooler and walk-in refrigerator. The case went unsolved for over nine years until a woman came forward to implicate her former boyfriend. Anne Lockett told police in 2002 that her former boyfriend James Degorski and his associate Juan Luna were the murderers. Luna was an employee of the restaurant.

Luna eventually confessed to the crime during an interrogation. He was found guilty in 2007 of all seven counts. He received life in prison without parole. The state was seeking the death penalty but one juror voted against it, and unanimity was required for a death penalty sentence to be imposed. Degorski was found guilty in 2009 of all seven counts of murder. His conviction weighed heavily on Lockett and another woman’s testimony. He was also sentenced to life without parole. Two jurors opposed the death penalty on his case.

Do you think there were be any negative effects to these two cases with the death of Myles? Tell us in the comments below.

To learn more about Judges being attacked, read these articles:

• Gunman Stabs Judge, Shoots Detective in Washington Courthouse
• Person Arrested Possibly Connected in Shooting of Texas Judge
• Stripper-Turned-Judge Found Dead in Las Vegas

Photo: nbcmiami.com