VIDEO: John L. Wilson Jr. Charged in Kelli O'Laughlin Murder Case
Wilson will appear before a judge in bond court this morning on charges of first degree murder in stabbing death of Kelli O'Laughlin.
(Updated news from this story with full details of the crime and investigation can be found here.) Information on the criminal background of the person charged can be found here.)
Charges have been filed in the murder of a 14-year-old Indian Head Park teen. Although police have yet to release an official statement, the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times and NBC5 report that the charges are for first-degree murder.
John L. Wilson Jr., 38, of Chicago has been charged in O'Laughlin's death. Wilson is set to face a judge in bond court this morning. According to Fox News Chicago, Wilson was stopped the night of the murder by a Willow Springs police officer. Wilson told the officer his car had broken down and he was getting a cab. The officer later learned that he might have spoken to the killer after police released a mug shot of a person of interest in the case.
O'Laughlin's cell phone was also taken the night of the murder, and may have been used to send text messages to a member of Kelli O'Laughlin's family, taunting them about the crime.
Thursday night, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and Indian Head Park Police Chief Frank Alonzo announced that they had a person in custody for the murder of Lyons Township freshman Kelli O'Laughlin.
“We feel very confident about the case and about the individual that is in custody right now,” said Dart.
Dart and Alonzo would not answer specific questions pertaining to specifics about the individual in custody, but Dart did confirm that the suspect has a prior criminal record.
“The individual who has been arrested has been in the penitentiary before," said Dart. "We really don’t want to get into too many details about him.”
NBC5 and ABC7 reported earlier in the day that the person in custody is a 38-year-old man from Chicago’s South Side, who was paroled within the last year. Police say they worked hundreds of leads in order to find him.
"As far as this crime is concerned, I think we all can rest a little bit easier tonight,” said Indian Head Park Police Chief Frank Alonzo.
But community members say they wish the police would provide them with more information, particularly about whether the person in custody acted alone.
"Have they stopped the investigation? Are they done looking for anybody else, because they are absolutely 100 percent certain that this is the gentleman who committed the crime?" asked Marie Raleigh, an Indian Head Park resident and subsitute teacher at Lyons Township High School.
NBC5 reported that the killer used Kelli’s cell phone to send taunting text messages to her mother that included details of her murder.
Residents say that rumors like this are something they would like police to address.
"Now that the text messages to the family have come out into the public. We want to know, was this just a burglary—this taunting. We don’t know, and we’re a little uneasy about this," said Raleigh.
Her sentiments were echoed by another Indian Head Park resident who said he hopes this case will be resolved soon.
"It’s hard to sleep," said Darren Drake. "Every waking moment it’s in the back of my mind, because it’s been so close to home. We’re just not used to this."
Word that charges have been filed came the day of Kelli O'Laughlin's funeral.
Megan James
6:42 am on Friday, November 4, 2011
Sounds promising. Was afraid this would turn into an unsolved case. I understand not releasing a lot of details in order to secure a guilty verdict. But hopefully they will answer some questions so residents know if they can rest easy if no one else was involved.
Martha Strawbridge
8:05 am on Friday, November 4, 2011
I agree the taunting seems more personal than a burglary. It's so twisted and disturbing. My heart pours out to the family and I hope they get all the way to the bottom of the case so everyone can have a little closure.
cb
8:55 am on Friday, November 4, 2011
Sit back and relax people. Let the police do their job; your desire to know the morbid details will not help the investigation proceed. And you are probably in the safest place right now--no fool is going to strike twice. This crime was obviously so heinous and such an anomaly. The universe truly acts in random ways and that randomness does not discriminate. Worrying each minute about whether you will be the next victim of the universe's randomness is unproductive. And soccer-moms needing to know the "details" need to sit back and wait. Satisfying your morbid curiosity is not priority right now. You knowing details will not propel the case nor will it make you any safer. The police are NOT being vindictive. Imagine if they had satisfied your curiosity last week (you were all demanding that more details be known). If the phone story got out, maybe this animal would have fled. Instead, he hung loose and was caught. You aren't entitled to know any details. Really, you are not.
cb
8:57 am on Friday, November 4, 2011
Marie quoted in the article above--this thing is no gentleman, to be sure. And if he didn't act alone, it is quite improbable that they would head back to the same area. You need to stop thinking about yourself and the remote impact this has had on you. It's effects are nil on your family as compared to others.
cb
9:00 am on Friday, November 4, 2011
"now that the text message thing has come out, we need to know more" (quoted). Why is it your business? If it was random--the guys behind bars. You are safe. If it wasn't random? Well, then, you are safe in that case, too. Either way suburbanites--get over yourselves. We deal with this every day in the city (and still choose to live here).
Matthew Hendrickson
4:27 pm on Friday, November 4, 2011
Hey CB, thanks for your comments. Let's all remember to keep it civil here and that each person has the right to their own feelings and comments. I also don't think it's strange for people to want information. I fully acknowledge the investigator's need to keep some details from the public, but I think looking for answers is natural too.
Bee
11:07 am on Friday, November 4, 2011
Cb, u r right in a lot of your comments.... the pain that this family is going thru can not even be compared to how scare or uneasy people that live in the area feel. Also, I agree that sometimes people demand details when knowing them will not change or help in anyway ..... We still lock or door at night or day no matter what happened.... with this being said .... there is no need to be so rude or call anyone names.... you can still get your point across without having to go there.
cb
1:42 pm on Friday, November 4, 2011
I will post where I see fit. I'm actually advocating for the family and telling the nosy folks who keep wanting the lurid details to sit back and relax. It's not their business. The family was actually my first concern in that post.The fact that the day after the murder, every "mom" interviewed spoke about how angry they were that details weren't emergent. That's not concern for the family, no is it? Again, if they had their wishes granted, perhaps the animal would have been still on the loose.
Darren McRoy
1:45 pm on Friday, November 4, 2011
The lurid details are now available. They are, sadly, extremely lurid.
Dan S.
4:43 pm on Friday, November 4, 2011
I am a white suburbanite who lives in the general area and have kids that go to LT. I agree with cb about the people who unnecessarily want to know every detail. I for one am perfectly happy to let the law enforcement people do their jobs, and am sickened by the details that have come out today. God bless the family and their wonderful angel; may she rest in peace.
cb
4:46 pm on Friday, November 4, 2011
Thank you, Dan. I grew up in Orland Park; I'm really familiar with life in the burbs and I do recognize it's advantages. At the same time, I'm tired of hearing why mother and mother after mother "needs to know." Especially now, it's not going to make anyone safer.
Bee
11:36 pm on Friday, November 4, 2011
Cb, I have a huge problem w u referring to "mother to mother" or "soccer moms" as the ones wanting to know! I heard lots of men saying they want to know as well or saying they r worry for the well being of their families. I agreed with you in that We do not need to know every detail but I am really sorry for the way u choose to express yourself. There are better ways of saying things !
Terry Tringle
10:00 am on Sunday, November 6, 2011
This guy has killed. There's no chance for rehabilitation, (and why would we want to anyway). There's no question that he's guilty and should be put to death NOW. End of story.
And by the way, I don't appreciate his family already trying to lay down the insanity defense. So wrong of a thing to do at this time.
cb
11:49 am on Sunday, November 6, 2011
I actually don't think the family really cares to defend him. The grandmother said "Throw the book at him." His brothers remarks were meant in a condescending, chiding way "He's crazy, dude!" I didn't hear one of them say that he was unfit to stand trial or that he couldn't help what he did. They actually seemed to take blame very well. And sadly, I don't think Wilson himself will bother with an insanity defense. He's denied medicine in the past and seems quite apathetic to the whole thing. Unless he has some skeevy lawyer who convinces him to go this route, we can look forward to seeing garbage as such off the streets.
Darren McRoy
11:57 am on Sunday, November 6, 2011
I think this is well-said. I don't blame the family for having awfully mixed feelings--how would you if it were your brother or relation? And I agree, there will be no insanity defense, although I don't think that's sad. I think what's sad is how many people are put away for years for relatively minor infractions while an incorrigible perennial offender like this is paroled--paroled!--halfway through his seventh (!) violent crime conviction.
cb
12:16 pm on Sunday, November 6, 2011
Oh wow! I didn't mean "sadly" in that way. What I was meaning to say is that 'sadly, wilson feel no remorse, is quite apathetic and doesn't even care to try to find a way to reconcile with this.'
Yes, I agree. We should stop putting people who smoke pot or commit petty theft away or forget to pay for their Wendy's meal. They are clogging the system while people like wilson are on the prowl for their next prey. This animal was headed for her his life life with the life of crime, jail, etc. he's embarked on.