Sentences have been handed down this week in three robbery cases that you read about on CWBChicago. Judges dished out penalties ranging from six years in prison to two-years probation to the defendants. Here are the details:
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| Buford |
• Keyruni Buford, 24, was on parole for robbery when he led the beating and robbery of a 64-year-old Boystown retiree in September 2016. Judge Timothy Chambers this week sentenced him to a six-year prison term plus two years of supervised release in exchange for Buford’s guilty plea. Charges of aggravated battery and unlawful restraint were dropped in the agreement.
After Buford’s arrest, CWBChicago discovered a video of him riding a Red Line train to Boystown with two other men just 45 minutes before the three would attack their victim in the 700 block of West Melrose. Other video showed Buford abusing homeless people in the Loop.
CWB reporting found that Buford spent many nights crashing at The Crib, a youth shelter that operates in the basement of Lakeview Lutheran Church at 835 West Addison.
Buford’s two accomplices both entered plea agreements late last year. Vonsean Williams, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of robbing a person over the age of 60 and received a four-year sentence from Judge Lauren Edidin. Damien Richardson, 22, pleaded guilty to aggravated battery in a public place and received a two-year sentence from Edidin.
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| McCall |
• At the other end of the sentencing spectrum, one-time college football standout Mikail McCall, 25, received two-years “second chance” probation and 30 hours of community service in a plea deal overseen by Judge Earl Hoffenberg. Seven counts of felony aggravated battery were dropped in the agreement.
In October, McCall was accused of striking three men as they stood on the Belmont Red Line platform and then robbing one of the men. The 31-year-old victim was transported to Illinois Masonic for his injuries, and the other men refused medical attention.
In 2010, McCall was ranked the #18 overall football recruit in Illinois. He committed to Michigan State but eventually wound up playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Court records show McCall had no previous adult arrests in Cook County.
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| Johnson |
• Deonlante Johnson, 26, received a four-year sentence and two years of supervised release for robbing a Verizon Store in Lincoln Square last May.
In the robbery, four offenders entered the store at 4752 North Lincoln, shoved the clerk out of the way, told a customer that they had a gun, and then marched into the rear storage area where the shop’s inventory is stored, police said.
They grabbed about 25 still-in-the-box iPhones and fled southbound on Lincoln Avenue, police said.
Judge Timothy Chambers approved the deal.
A Note
Illinois prison sentences are automatically reduced by 50% on the presumption that they will exhibit “good behavior” while incarcerated.
