Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office recently told Crain’s reporter Greg Hinz that it could not identify the people on electronic monitoring for murder or attempted murder in the city — or the judges who put them on EM — because the mayor’s office didn’t have access to court files.
So, CWBChicago reviewed the court files. Here’s part six of our report about who the defendants are, what prosecutors accused them of doing, and which judges ordered them to go onto electronic monitoring if they posted bail.
We decided to look only at cases involving crimes alleged to have occurred in the city by defendants who were placed on electronic monitoring within the past year, regardless of when the crime occurred. That’s 35 cases. We use the defendants’ initials for domestic incidents to protect the victims’ identities.
It is not clear why Lightfoot has decided to focus on these individuals rather than people accused of similar charges who have are on bond without electronic monitoring.
Emily Petronella, 22, Attempted First-Degree Murder
Two weeks after Emily Petronella was released on bail for a felony gun charge, she allegedly shot a Chicago police officer through her apartment’s back door as he tried to serve a search warrant.
Prosecutors said CPD officers wearing police markings and accompanied by vehicles with emergency lights activated knocked on Petronella’s door and announced themselves as they tried to serve the warrant at Petronella’s home in Humboldt Park on March 9, 2019.
Petronella allegedly fired a bullet through her apartment door as police were breaking it down. Prosecutors said the round struck a Chicago police officer in his shoulder, fracturing a vertebra.
Cops found a loaded handgun, 22 pounds of marijuana, and a shell casing inside Petronella’s apartment, according to the allegations.
Two weeks earlier, prosecutors charged Petronella, who had a license to own firearms, with unlawful use of a weapon after police allegedly found a shotgun on the floorboard of her car along with $1,810 cash during a traffic stop, according to court records. She was released on her own recognizance.
Judge Stephanie Miller ordered Petronella held without bail in the alleged police shooting on March 10, 2019. That was reduced to $150,000 with electronic monitoring on February 11, 2021, by Judge Domenica Stephenson, court records show. Petronella posted 10% of that amount and went home a week later.
P.W., 35, Attempted First-Degree Murder
Multiple surveillance cameras were recording when P.W. arrived at her boyfriend’s apartment building, got out of her car holding a knife, and stood in the street on February 2, 2021, Assistant State’s Attorney Franka D’Antignac said. The 35-year-old woman began yelling about money the boyfriend owed her and threatened to stab him, D’Antignac continued.
P.W. allegedly followed him to his apartment building door and stabbed him one time in the chest. The victim, 31, went inside and called 911. He identified P.W. as the assailant and told police she was sitting in her car outside the apartment, D’Antignac said. CPD officers found P.W. in her car and arrested her. They also recovered a knife, D’Agnignac said.
Prosecutors alleged that P.W. admitted to stabbing her boyfriend, but P.W.’s defense attorney pointed out that CPD’s arrest report said she refused to answer any questions.
The boyfriend underwent surgery and survived.
Judge Arthur Willis, noting that “this was a one-strike stabbing,” denied the state’s request to hold P.W. without bail. Instead, he set bail at $250,000 with electronic monitoring and GPS as conditions of her release. She went home upon posting 10% of her bail amount.
Jermaine Powell, 26, First-Degree Murder
According to a contemporaneous Chicago Sun-Times report, Jermaine Powell and Joshua Grayer were charged in October 2014 with a shooting that left one man dead and another injured in the South Austin neighborhood.
Powell and Grayer allegedly stepped out of an apartment building and opened fire on the two victims, who were standing nearby. Chicago police officers who were about 30 yards away from the shooting arrested Powell and Grayer after a foot chase, the paper reported.
Judge Peggy Chiampas ordered Powell held without bail on October 27, 2014, according to court records. His bail was reduced to $950,000 by Judge Diane Cannon on September 24, 2015.
Powell went home on electronic monitoring on June 26, 2021, when a family member posted his $95,000 bail deposit, court records show.
Grayer, who was on bail for a pending criminal sexual assault case at the time of the shooting, is still being held without bail.
Rayvon J. Hall, 23, Attempted First-Degree Murder
Prosecutors accused Rayvon Hall of organizing a shooting that left two victims and an alleged co-offender injured in June 2019. Hall and his accomplice allegedly shot at two men who were standing next to a car. One of the alleged victims, a concealed carry holder, returned fire, striking Hall’s accomplice, prosecutors alleged.
A CPD surveillance camera recorded parts of the shooting.
Hall’s defense attorney argued during an initial bond hearing that he did not fire the first shots.
Judge Mary Marubio granted a state request to hold Hall without bail on June 15, 2019. That was reduced to $750,000 with electronic monitoring on June 20, 2019, by Judge James Brown, according to court records.
Halls’ bail was further reduced to $275,000 on April 2, 2021, by Judge Lawrence Flood and Hall later went home upon posting 10% of that amount.
Previous reporting
- Who are the accused murderers and attempted murderers on electronic monitoring? The mayor says she doesn’t know. So, we found out. (January 13, 2022)
- Outraged about alleged murderers being on electronic monitoring, politicians propose a new law — but it doesn’t do what they think it does (January 13, 2022)
- Who are the accused murderers on electronic monitoring in Chicago? Take a look. Part 3. (January 14, 2022)
- Who are the people on electronic monitoring in Chicago while accused of murder and attempted murder? We found out. Part 4. (January 15, 2022)
- Who are the people on electronic monitoring in Chicago while accused of murder and attempted murder? We found out. Part 5 (January 16, 2022)