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* UPDATED x1 * Judge’s house was cased for weeks before shooting

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The alleged getaway driver in the fatal shooting of Cook County Associate Judge Raymond Myles said the killer surveilled the judge’s house for a few weeks before the deadly incident, Cook County prosecutors said Thursday.

Joshua Smith said in a videotaped statement to authorities that Myles was being watched for at least two or three weeks, an Assistant State’s Attorney Guy Lisuzzo said.

The motive for the shootings was robbery, and 66-year-old Myles was targeted — but the shooting had nothing to do with his position as a judge, police had said on Wednesday.

Smith’s accomplice, who shot Myles and his girlfriend at 4:50 a.m. Monday in the 9400 block of South Forest, took the woman’s gym bag, expecting to find cash inside, Lisuzzo said. But there was no cash inside, and the killer threw the bag away. […]

Smith drove himself to the Area South Detectives division later that day “to speak with detectives” and has been in custody ever since, Chief of Detectives Melissa Staples said at a news conference Wednesday evening.

* But DNAInfo says it was Judge Myles’ female friend who was actually targeted…

Assistant State’s Attorney Guy Lisuzzo said at the hearing Thursday that Smith and an unnamed accomplice attempted to rob the woman, who left the judge’s home for the gym shortly before 5 a.m., the same time every day. The accomplice allegedly watched the woman for 2-3 weeks to learn her habits.

He stole her gym bag, but became enraged when no cash was inside, prosecutors said.

Myles saw the two arguing and came outside, where he was killed, police have said. The woman was also shot.

Smith drove the getaway car, an orange Pontiac Sunfire registered to his ex-girlfriend, Lisuzzo said. He allegedly told the girlfriend and her daughter to lie and say the car had been stolen.

* Background…

An early riser, Myles was up before dawn Monday, getting ready to go to the gym with his girlfriend before reporting to his courtroom. But as the 52-year-old woman left the two-story brick residence shortly before 5 a.m., she was confronted near the garage by a gunman who shot her in the leg, according to police. Hearing the commotion, Myles, 66, ran outside and exchanged words with the assailant before he was shot and killed.

A neighbor and friend of the judge told the Tribune he was awakened by the shouts of the woman and the crack of about six gunshots. “She was screaming, ‘Don’t kill him, don’t kill him!’ ” the neighbor said.

An autopsy found Myles had been shot multiple times, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said Tuesday. […]

Sheriff Tom Dart’s office investigates about 10 death threats against Cook County judges a year but had no record of any threats against Myles in recent years.

*** UPDATE *** They were targeting the girlfriend. Tribune…

Assistant State’s Attorney Guy Lisuzzo said Smith told police that he and the other man planned to rob the judge’s girlfriend and that the other man had conducted surveillance on her movements for two to three weeks.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Apr 13, 17 @ 1:22 pm

Comments

===took the woman’s gym bag, expecting to find cash inside,===

Sounds like there’s going to be more to this story. Why would they be expecting her to have cash in the bag? That they were following her for weeks leads me to believe they were expecting there to be a LOT of cash in that bag.

Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Apr 13, 17 @ 1:33 pm
speaking of Cook County judges, one just got indicted by the feds for mortgage fraud.

Comment by Bloom Township Bob Thursday, Apr 13, 17 @ 1:35 pm
Weeks of surveillance for what’s basically a purse snatching? For a gym bag that you’re willing to shoot for? And it’s supposedly empty?

Prisons are full of stupid crooks, but I’m thinking there’s more to the story than this guy is telling.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Apr 13, 17 @ 1:41 pm
“….enraged when no cash was inside.”

and this is the kind of thing that has nothing whatsoever to do with police brutality. there may be more to the incident—the judge was in charge of a “youth” (up to 27?) offender drug court, but lots of good people live in these neighborhoods and are preyed upon in this manner. bad people belong in prison.

Comment by Amalia Thursday, Apr 13, 17 @ 1:45 pm
Unbelievable. A man gets gunned in his own yard and we lead off with 2 comments about how bad judges are. I’m losing faith around here.

Comment by W.S. Wolcott Thursday, Apr 13, 17 @ 1:51 pm
W.S. Wolcott: C’mon man. This is Chicago. What criminal cases a couple for weeks to swipe gym clothes? What did the robber think was in the bag and why? Those are legit questions. This case is starting to smell funny.

Comment by Terry Salad Thursday, Apr 13, 17 @ 2:10 pm
I’m losing faith around here.

It gets worse. My reaction is how much I hate having journalists - well, anybody - use bogus words like “surveil.” American online dictionaries notwithstanding, there is no such word and I’m tired of seeing it used. /s

And yes, of course the shooting is a terrible crime.

Comment by Excessively Rabid Thursday, Apr 13, 17 @ 2:18 pm
Maybe something will end up smelling, but not even a too bad he got killed - I feel for his family. No comments on his involvement in the community. Nope. Straight to the he must be a crooked judge insinuation.

Comment by W.S. Wolcott Thursday, Apr 13, 17 @ 2:19 pm
The story is not adding up.

Comment by Rocky Rosi Thursday, Apr 13, 17 @ 2:24 pm
Add me to the column of skeptics. Most crooks are lazy. These fellows weren’t watching the house for weeks without expectation of a big payday.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Thursday, Apr 13, 17 @ 2:41 pm
I don’t know about cash but a lot of women will put jewelry in their gym bags before heading to work out in the mornings along with that day’s clothes. Since they often go straight to the office from the gym, you bring everything with you, including jewelry. Maybe they thought she had expensive jewelry with her? Or saw her wearing it and thought that she would also have her wallet with actual cash in it? I take my jewelry off before I get the gym since I worry about people seeing it and going through my locker myself.

Comment by Quad City Gal Thursday, Apr 13, 17 @ 3:09 pm
Judges come from lawyers?

Comment by Puddintaine Thursday, Apr 13, 17 @ 3:14 pm
===Maybe they thought she had expensive jewelry with her?===

Maybe you could read the story, and the helpful excerpts above.

Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Apr 13, 17 @ 3:22 pm
Good to find that this horrific crime finally made headlines elsewhere. This is a new all-time low for Chicago. Judges have been targeted and battered, but this is the first actual murder that I am aware of.
A few bombs were tossed during Prohibition, but none of the judges targeted were killed.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 13, 17 @ 3:50 pm
Divorce Judge Gentile was killed in his courtroom in 1983.

Comment by Keyrock Thursday, Apr 13, 17 @ 4:11 pm
–Straight to the he must be a crooked judge insinuation.–

Reading the comments, I don’t see that at all.

I see doubt cast upon the story of the guy who got popped.

You know, it’s quite possible that the whole “weeks of surveillance” thing is a lie. Don’t you think?

If you’re going to jump to conclusions, you should roll in Kass Land. He crayoned some predictably maudlin navel-gazer about “they’re killing judges now,” assuming that “they” knew they were killing a judge.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Apr 13, 17 @ 5:34 pm
–Good to find that this horrific crime finally made headlines elsewhere. This is a new all-time low for Chicago. Judges have been targeted and battered, but this is the first actual murder that I am aware of.
A few bombs were tossed during Prohibition, but none of the judges targeted were killed.–

Unless you’re holding back, you have no idea more than the rest of us as to the motivations of this killing.

I have no idea how you can draw any historic conclusions on it.

But you and the Kassoulets seem to think it’s a greater tragedy that a judge gets killed in what, at this time, looks to be a robbery, than any other regular schmuck.

Why is that?

Are you suggesting he was killed because was a judge, a political assassination? Where do you get that?

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Apr 13, 17 @ 6:51 pm
Google “Judge Joan Lefkow”.

And to the commenter spouting outrage: this is the 2nd day Rich wrote about this story. Have you checked the prior day’s posts? Maybe you’ll find what you seek there.

Comment by Lynn S. Friday, Apr 14, 17 @ 8:36 am