CHICAGO — Prosecutors have charged an Evergreen Park man with murder, saying he fatally shot the victim last year while on pretrial release for a pending gun case.
Judge Antara Rivera detained 26-year-old Raheen Thompson to await trial on a charge of first-degree murder.
Rivera’s detention order said Thompson knew the victim, Willie Durley, 35, and shot him at close range in the 6900 block of South Justine on September 14, 2023. Durley was unarmed as Thompson shot him eight times, according to the judge’s order.
A Chicago police report cited video and phone data as additional evidence linking Thompson to the crime.
At the time of the murder, Rivera was on bail while awaiting trial for a felony gun charge, court records show. He took the case to a bench trial and was found not guilty in September of this year by Judge Natosha Toller.
He is the 40th person accused of shooting, killing, or trying to shoot or kill someone in Chicago last year while on felony pretrial release. The crimes involved 56 victims; 23 died.
The “not horrible” series
This report continues our coverage of individuals accused of killing, shooting, or trying to kill or shoot others on pretrial release for a felony allegation. 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.
On September 18, 2023, Illinois eliminated cash bail entirely. Our “not horrible” continues.
The actual number of murders and shootings committed by people awaiting trial for felony allegations 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.
