CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to 10 years for robbing a 64-year-old woman in a Home Depot parking lot near Goose Island.
Shortly after noon on March 1, 2021, the victim was walking on the lot at 1232 West North Avenue when a man reached out of a passing car to grab her purse with both hands, prosecutors said. The driver continued driving, dragging the woman by her purse, causing the strap to break, and slamming the victim to the pavement.
Investigators later found video footage that showed King using the woman’s credit card to buy a baseball hat at Lincolnwood Town Center and other items at a gas station. The video showed his face and a unique “Rugrats” tattoo on his neck, which helped police identify him, officials said.
At the time of the robbery, King had a felony stolen motor vehicle case pending.
Prosecutors said he stole a woman’s car when she left it running outside her sister’s home and then stared into her phone, which still had an active FaceTime stream going with the victim’s friend.
When the victim later logged on to Instagram, she received a follow request from a man whose feed was filled with photos of the car thief that her friend saw on FaceTime, according to prosecutors.
The woman showed the man’s Instagram photos to police, and they immediately recognized him as Cortel King, officials said.
Cortel King, 20, has now pleaded guilty to robbery of a victim over the age of 60 in exchange for the sentence from Judge Michael Hood. He received seven years in the stolen motor vehicle case after pleading guilty before Judge Anjana Hansen, according to court records.
His sentences will be served concurrently and reduced by 50% for good behavior. The Illinois Department of Corrections website says he is expected to be paroled on June 16, 2025.
