A man sentenced to 30 years for his role in a controversial robbery in which a 73-year-old grandfather and Vietnam left Vet Dead, has been sentenced to four years in prison for helping kidnapping and keeping another prisoner for ransom while waiting for the trial in the Cook County prison.
In July 2021, only two months after Frank Harris received youth for another kaacking from the vehicle, he and the 17-year-old Danhawn Williams Carjack Vietnam veterinarian Keith Cooper in a parking lot of Strip Mall at 1236 East 53rd Street, said prosecutors.
Cooper, a loving grandfather on to celebrate his 74th birthday, got out of his vehicle and walked to a CFS when Williams approached him from behind and pulled the keys out of his hand. Cooper’s most important FOB fell on the floor and Harris picked it up.
The video let Harris walk behind Cooper and hit him in the head. Cooper took his head and took a step back when Williams pushed him into the chest, claimed public prosecutors.
Harris and Williams, unable to get in the car, ran away like two witnesses 911. About two minutes later, Cooper collapsed and stopped breathing. An Off-Duty paramedic started resuscitation, but Cooper died a short time later at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Harris, who was accused of murder in the case, eventually argued guilty of aggravated theft in exchange for the 30-year prison sentence last year.
But public prosecutors said that while Harris was in prison awaiting the trial, he and two other prisoners kidnapped a colleague in prison and held him for ransom. One of the accomplices “invited” the victim, who is awaiting a process for a double murder, in a bathroom. Harris followed them together with a third conspirator, the state claimed.
Harris joined the victim, another union the man’s hands and ankles with sheets, and the trio continued to beat, kick and stamp the victim, said public prosecutors.
The men got a tablet prisoners to use for family video stats, reading and other activities and forced the victim to call someone who could transfer $ 1,000 to them via CashApp, the state claimed.
Prosecutors said the victim called his grandmother, told her that his life was in danger and asked her to transfer money to a specific CashApp account. Before the transaction went on, correctional officers returned to the area to collect tablets for the day, and one of the accomplices released the victim.
The victim later reported the crime to a prison officer and sought medical treatment for injuries he sustained during the attack.
Like all Jailhouse calls, the tablet interview was automatically recorded and archived by the Sheriff office, a spokesperson said. Researchers pulled the audio and built a business against Harris and four other men.
Now Harris has found guilty of kidnapping in exchange for a four -year prison sentence of judge Michael Clancy.
After receiving the standard of the state, a 50% reduction and other credits is expected to be released conditionally in February 2037.
A spokesperson for the office of a sheriff told us last year that, although rare, similar abductions took place in prison before the tablet program went online in 2023. In addition to video chats, prisoners can use the tablets to access an extensive library, information about general interest and educational material, the spokesperson said.
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