#25: Teen acted as murderer’s driver while awaiting trial for carjacking, stolen car cases: prosecutors say

Prosecutors accused a 16-year-old boy on Wednesday of acting as the driver for a gunman who shot and killed a man in Albany Park two months ago. The accused teen, Jyquwon McClellan, committed the crime while having two felony cases, including a carjacking, pending in juvenile court, prosecutors said. He’s charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.

McClellan is the 25th person accused of killing or shooting — or attempting to kill or shoot — someone in Chicago while on bail for a felony this year. The alleged crimes involved at least 55 victims, 12 of whom died.

After the murder, Chicago police released these surveillance images of the stolen Nissan and the gunman leaning out of its passenger window to kill Michael Conrad. | CPD

Prosecutors on Wednesday said lab tests suggest that the gun used in the Albany Park murder was used one day earlier to kill a pizza delivery driver less than a block from McClellan’s home. He is not charged with that crime, however.

Around 7 p.m. on May 6, McClellan allegedly drove 17-year-old Branko Fager to the 4400 block of North Hamlin in a stolen Nissan Maxima. As they neared the car 37-year-old Michael Conrad was driving, Fager, who was charged with the murder last week, leaned out of the passenger-side window and began shooting into Conrad’s vehicle, prosecutor James Murphy said.

Police recovered 22 shell casings at the shooting scene. Conrad died, and a woman driving nearby was injured when one of the bullets shattered her windshield, sending glass into her eye, according to the allegations.

Murphy said investigators received information that McClellan, also known as “Psycho,” was involved in the shooting. After McClellan was arrested on May 16 for possessing a stolen motor vehicle, police executed a search warrant on his phone.

A trove of digital evidence from McClellan’s phone allegedly linked him to Fager and the murder, including GPS tracking, social media conversations about Conrad, and discussions about planning the murder.

According to Murphy, McClellan also searched an address in suburban Northlake on Apple Maps just 16 minutes before the car used in Conrad’s murder was found engulfed in flames at the same address.

Murphy did not provide a motive for the crime.

McClellan was adjudicated delinquent as a juvenile for a robbery he committed in May 2018, when he was 12-years-old. Murphy said a judge sentenced him to probation, which he violated twice.

At the time of Conrad’s murder, McClellan was awaiting trial in juvenile court for aggravated vehicular hijacking and a separate felony stolen motor vehicle case. He also has a previous juvenile conviction for criminal trespass to a vehicle.

McClellan’s public defender contended that the state’s case is based entirely on circumstantial evidence and pointed out that McClellan is not accused of shooting anyone.

He said McClellan “would be a rising junior next year” in high school.

“I’ll point this out,” said Judge Maryam Ahamad as Wednesday’s hearing wrapped up. “Defendant has three pending cases. He has all the safeguards of juvenile court, all the resources of juvenile court. And clearly, those were insufficient to prevent this offense.”

She granted the state’s motion to hold McClellan without bail.

The “not horrible” series

This report continues our coverage of individuals accused of killing, shooting, or trying to kill or shoot others while on bond for a pending felony case. CWBChicago began our series of reports in November 2019 after Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans publicly stated, “we haven’t had any horrible incidents occur” under the court’s bond reform initiative.

The actual number of murders and shootings committed by people on felony bail is undoubtedly much higher than the numbers seen here. Since 2017, CPD has brought charges in less than 5% of non-fatal shootings and 33% of murders, according to the city’s data. 

You can support CWBChicago’s work by becoming a subscriber today.

#1: Man who tried to shoot 3 outside a North Side restaurant on New Year’s Day had a pending felony case, prosecutors say (January 6, 2022)

#2: Felon awaiting trial for 4 sexual assault cases escaped from electronic monitoring and tried to kill investigators who tracked him down, prosecutors say (January 15, 2022)

#3: With felony gun case pending, man shot passerby during “exchange of gunfire,” prosecutors say (January 23, 2022)

#4: Seven-time felon on electronic monitoring for his 4th gun case tried to shoot and kill his girlfriend’s father, prosecutors say (January 26, 2022)

#5: Teen on electronic monitoring for TWO gun cases carjacked a Lyft driver, then shot a 15-year-old at point-blank range, prosecutors say (February 10, 2022)

#6: Man killed nursing student months after going AWOL from felony DUI case, prosecutors say (February 20, 2022)

#7: Man shot and killed his own brother while on bail for a felony gun case, prosecutors say (February 22, 2022)

#8: Beloved Hyde Park bartender was killed by a robber who has 3 pending felony cases, prosecutors said (March 7, 2022)

#9: Man involved in New Year’s shoot-out that left one dead was on bail for his 3rd gun felony, prosecutors say (March 8, 2022)

#10: An 11-time convicted felon shot a 3-year-old and tried to kill the boy’s mother while on felony bail, prosecutors say (March 11, 2022)

#11: Man allegedly stabbed another to death 4 days after getting released on felony bail (March 29, 2022)

#12: He opened fire on his ex’s house, killing a man, prosecutors say. But he was supposed to be home 24/7 for a pending felony gun case. (March 29, 2022)

#13: Man shot a woman, fired toward 4 others, while on bond for being a felon in possession of a firearm, prosecutors say (April 7, 2022)

#14: Man killed his parents in an Uptown senior center while on bond for federal armed robbery and gun charges, prosecutors say (April 14. 2022)

#15: Four-time felon opened fire on a carload of victims, injuring 2 while on bond for felony gun case, prosecutors say (April 20, 2022)

#16: Man shot his ex this month and her boyfriend last month, prosecutors say. He was on felony bail. (April 24, 2022)

#17: Man tried to kill 2 cable TV installers over a missing dog, prosecutors say. He was on bail at the time. (April 30, 2022)

#18: Man escaped from electronic monitoring and ran over a cop in a stolen car while fleeing a murder scene, prosecutors say (May 19, 2022)

#19: A two-time felon circled a West Side neighborhood for 15 minutes looking for someone to kill in a revenge murder, prosecutors say. He was on bond for a gun case at the time. (May 21, 2022)

#20: Alleged mass shooter had a felony gun case pending when he killed 2, wounded 7 near Magnificent Mile, records show (May 22, 2022)

#21: Five months after escaping from electronic monitoring, he helped shoot up a carload of people, injuring 2, prosecutors say (May 29, 2022)

#22: Man accused of setting ‘Walking Man’ on fire has been AWOL from 2 felony cases for 15 months, court records show (May 30, 2022)

#23: Two weeks after being charged with having a stolen rifle in a hijacked car, he allegedly shot a man with a rifle after getting out of a hijacked car (June 11, 2022)

#24: Gunman left a woman paralyzed in River North just 4 weeks after officials sent his felony gun case to a “peace circle,” prosecutors say (June 13, 2022)

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