CHICAGO – Prosecutors have charged an Evergreen Park man with murder, saying he fatally shot the victim last year while he was in custody on an ongoing gun case.
Judge Antara Rivera arrested 26-year-old Raheen Thompson pending trial on charges of first-degree murder.
Rivera’s detention warrant stated that Thompson knew the victim, Willie Durley, 35, and shot him at close range on September 14, 2023 in the 6900 block of South Justine. Durley was unarmed when Thompson shot him eight times, according to the judge’s order.
A Chicago police report cited video and phone records as additional evidence linking Thompson to the crime.
At the time of the killing, Rivera was out on bail awaiting trial on a weapons offense, court records show. He took the case to a judicial inquiry and was found not guilty by Judge Natosha Toller in September this year.
He is the 40th person charged in Chicago last year with shooting, killing or attempting to shoot or kill someone while in police custody. The crimes involved 56 victims; 23 died.
The series ‘not terrible’
This report continues our coverage of individuals accused of killing, shooting or attempting to kill or shoot others while released into custody on a felony charge. CWBChicago began our series of reports in November 2019 after Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans publicly stated“There have been no terrible incidents” under the court’s bond reform initiative.
On September 18, 2023, Illinois eliminated cash bail entirely. Our “not terrible” continues.
The actual number of murders and shootings committed by people awaiting trial on felony charges is undoubtedly much higher than the figures seen here. According to city data, CPD has reported fewer than 5% of non-fatal shootings and 33% of homicides since 2017.
