KELLI O'LAUGHLIN - 14 yo / Convicted: John L. Wilson - Indian Head Park IL

Indian Head Park, Ill. - Indian Head Park Police continue to chase
down leads, hoping to solve the murder of Kelli O'Laughlin soon.
But the killer is still out there and all Kelli's family, friends and
community can hope is that that person is caught so in the midst of
their sorrow there might be some justice.
There were hugs and tears for Kelli as hundreds of people came to pay their respects on
Wednesday and seek comfort in the middle of all their sorrow and
questions about why such a tragedy had to befall such an innocent young girl.
"Why her? She was in the wrong place at the wrong time," said Imelda Madrid, a family friend. "It's very sad."

The 14-year-old Lyons Township High School freshman was remembered as a
sweet and caring person, a terrific student who also loved and tennis and cross country.
"It's just so mortifying to know that there's
still someone out there that can be so evil to have done something like
this to an innocent child," said Michelle Ortiz, a family friend. "It
makes me so upset to know that this person is out there and can do this to someone else."
Kelli was stabbed to death last Thursday after she returned home from school. Her mother found her when she got home.
Kelli's father, John O'Laughlin, released this statement on Wednesday:
"On behalf of our family - including my wife Brenda and our sons Ryan and
Daniel and daughter Bridgette - we are truly overwhelmed and touched by
the outpouring of support we have received from the community and all
those who knew and loved Kelli. We are so grateful to everyone who has
offered their support and condolences in this difficult time. We also
thank you for allowing us to mourn in private.
People continue to ask us what they can do to help. We ask that you please keep Kelli and our family in your prayers.
We've established a scholarship fund to keep the memory of Kelli alive
through future education opportunities for other young people. The
scholarship fund is in the form of a donor-advised fund facilitated by
the Chicago Community Trust. Information and can be found and online
donations made at     www.kellijoyolaughlinmemorialfund.com.
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/kelli-olaughlin-murdered-indian-park-girl-police-wake-20111102

Source: Man in custody in Indian Head Park girl's slaying

By Erin Meyer and Matt Walberg
Tribune reporters
4:45 a.m. CDT, November 3, 2011

As a long line of mourners filed into a Countryside funeral home Wednesday to say their last goodbyes to the slain Kelli O'Laughlin, sources familiar with the investigation said a man was in custody and being questioned.

The source would not say how long the man has been in custody or whether he's considered a suspect.

Kelli was found stabbed multiple times at her home in Indian Head Park on Oct. 27. Police believe she walked in on a burglary when she returned from Lyons Township High School, where she was a freshman.

Last week another man was questioned in connection with the slaying. That man had been charged in September with another burglary in the area but was later released due to lack of probable cause. He was taken into custody a second time after O' Lauglin's body was found. He was not charged in the teen's slaying, but the original burglary charge was reinstated and he is currently in Cook County Jail.

On Wednesday morning, friends and family members gathered at Hallowell & James Funeral Home to pay their respects. Their arms crossed or their hands plunged deep into their pockets, young people huddled in small groups. They exchanged hugs and occasionally fixed their gazes on the TV cameras pointed at them from across the street.

A friend of her family fondly recalled "tennis crazy" 14-year-old as he struggled to cope with her death.

"She had these big, bright sparkling eyes," said Richard Roderick. "To have something like this happen ... there are no words."

Roderick said Kelli lit up a room when she walked in.

A regular tennis partner of Kelli's father, Roderick said he frequently ran into her at a racquet club where the O'Laughlins are members. He remembered seeing her always with "her two best friends" in hand -- a cellphone and a tennis racket.

"I watched Kelli beat her dad (at tennis)," he said, smiling and shaking his head. "We just hope and pray for a logical conclusion."

Earlier Wednesday John O'Laughlin, the father of the slain teen, released a statement in which he expressed his family's gratitude to the community.

"We are truly overwhelmed and touched by the outpouring of support we have received from the community and all those who knew and loved Kelli," he said. "We are so grateful to everyone who has offered their support and condolences in this difficult time."

He also thanked police for their efforts in searching for the person responsible for his daughter's death. Authorities have pursued more than 100 leads in the case, but so far have not been able to identify and apprehend a suspect.

The visitation for Kelli will continue from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday. A funeral Mass will take place at 9:45 a.m. Friday at St. John of the Cross Church, 5005 Wolf Road, Western Springs.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-mourners-gather-to-remember-slain-girl-there-are-no-words-20111102,0,3922664.story

Nov 4, 2011 5:24pm

Killer Taunted Mom of Slain Teen, Cops Say



They also revealed that they believe the suspect had sent “taunting
and disturbing” text messages to the girl’s mother, using her dead
daughter’s cell phone.

John L. Wilson, Jr, whose last known address was in Chicago, was
charged with first degree murder and residential burglary. He is being
held without bond.

According to prosecutors, Wilson, 38, attacked Kelli with a knife
from the O’Laughlin’s kitchen butcher block after the high school
freshman came home from school and walked in on a burglary. She was
stabbed repeatedly in the back, neck and chest.

“It was obviously a very horrific crime that was committed, and then
to have the mother of the victim to be subjected to taunts from someone
who did this..words can’t describe this,” said Cook County Sheriff Tom
Dart.

“There are no words to really describe how horrific this is,” said
Cook County Prosecutor Anita Alvarez, who said this case brought veteran
investigators and prosecutors to tears. “All of us who have teenagers
are haunted by the sickness of this crime and the total disregard for
life displayed by this defendant.”

Kelli O’Laughlin got off her school bus at 3:40 p.m. last Thursday,
and walked in on Wilson, who had broken into her family’s home, Alvarez
said. Wilson allegedly stabbed the teen, and fled with a bowl of
foreign coins, the girl’s Ipod Touch, and her cell phone. Investigators
say three witnesses saw Wilson leave the house, and were able to later
identify him in a police line-up.

Detectives had tracked Wilson down using a key piece of evidence left
at the scene. A wool cap with a rock inside had reportedly been used
to break a window in the home. DNA tests conducted on the hat led
investigators to Wilson, who has a long criminal history, including a
conviction for armed robbery.

Then, investigators zeroed in on Wilson using Kelli’s stolen phone,
authorities said. ”Using cell phone technology, law enforcement agents
were able to track victim’s cell phone and the accused’s cell
phone,” Alvarez said. “They were tracking in tandem together.” Police,
the F.B.I and Secret Service all took part in the search.

In another break in the case, a police officer responding to a
disturbance at a convenience store in the neighboring town of Willow
Springs spotted Wilson.

“There were hundreds of leads that brought people to this individual,” said Dart. “That was a significant break.”

Investigators say Wilson left the store in a taxi that took him to a
neighborhood near Chicago’s Midway Airport. He allegedly paid the fare
with coins taken from the O’Laughlin’s home.

If convicted, Wilson cannot face the death penalty. Illinois abolished the state’s most serious punishment earlier this year.

“This is a case that definitely would have qualified for the seeking
of the death penalty,” said Alvarez. “It’s felony murder. It’s a case
that would have qualified and we would have sought it.”

Kelli O’Laughlin’s murder was the first ever in the bedroom community
of Indian Head Park, a quiet suburb of about 3,700 people. The violent
and seemingly random act rattled neighbors and shattered the comfort of
many who regarded their town as safe. Today, hundreds of those
neighbors lined the route of Kelli’s funeral procession, releasing white
and purple balloons in her memory.

Dart said there could never be justice for the O’Laughlins in the
violent and tragic loss of their child. But for the community, the
arrest brings some comfort. “People should be able to sleep a lot easier
tonight.”
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/11/killer-taunted-mom-of-slain-teen-cops-say/

Chicago - Authorities called 14-year-old Kelli O’Laughlin’s murder
“horrific” at a press conference Friday. Murder suspect John L. Wilson
Jr. was charged with first degree murder and armed robbery .
Cook
County Sheriff Tom Dart said that Wilson is a convicted felon who was
on parole. Wilson was released on November 16, 2010. He was free under
Illinois law, after serving eight years of an 11 year sentence for
robbery.
The 38-year-old has a long criminal history. Wilson served time in prison for drugs, carjacking and aggravated battery.
Court
records said in 1991, drug posession and car theft. Two years later,
another drug possession case and car hijacking. In 2001, aggravated
battery. It was in 2002 that WIlson was charged with robbery at a school
or place of worship.
According to authorities, of the last 20 years, Wilson has only spent three of them out of prison.
Wilson’s family said they feel horrible about O’Laughling’s murder, and believe he has psychological problems.
His brother and cousin were bunkered down in the basement apartment Wilson used to call home.
Outside Wilson’s Chatham apartment Friday, his older brother, Shun Dantzler, apologized to the O’Laughlin family.
“I
put my hands up to God and say, ‘Please have mercy for the little girl
and my little brother’s soul. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,’” Dantzler
said.
He claimed his brother is mentally unfit to stand trial, something he said he’s told a judge on Wilson’s behalf before.
“As
you know and I know, if he had any brains — or should I say if he was
in his right mind — he wouldn’t be texting the young lady’s mother,” he
said.
His cousin M.C. Campbell said surprise doesn’t begin to describe the family’s reaction.
"You
know nobody wants to raise a child or anybody else to go out and kill
somebody and hurt an innocent person. We didn't know anything about what
he was doing," Campbell said. "What can you say... they lost a
daughter."
Campbell said everyone is disturbed, shocked and
apologetic. He said he thought Wilson should have gotten some
psychological help while in jail because the suspect was known to be
unstable.
A neighbor, Stefon Givens, 23, said Wilson “deserves to be where he’s at right now.”
“You
could tell something was wrong with him because he used to always walk
past you and look at you crazy,” Givens said. “And he used to always
want to know about people’s cribs, wanting to break in people’s houses.”
"His
mother almost had to go to the hospital about this situation, she's
that upset," Campbell said. "You have a child and your raise them the
best that you can, and if they do something stupid like this, how can
you say that I raised this child to do this?"
Family members said
the unassuming Wilson had no business leaving jail - that he may suffer
from mental stress and believe he has lost his mind.
Cook County
State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said this murder case would have
qualified for the death penalty, but current state law doesn't allow it.


Illinois used to have the death penalty.

Governor George Ryan put a moratorium on it after evidence of wrongful convictions came to light.

Then
the state legislature and Governor Quinn eliminated the death penalty
for good. Quinn signed the bill into law earlier this year.
The most severe sentence in Illinois is life without parole.
"All I can say now is we're glad Illinois doesn't have the death penalty," Campbell said, "if it is him."
Thousands
attended Kelli O’Laughlin's funeral on Friday, and many were overcome
with emotion. She was laid to rest in Western Springs.
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/crime/kelli-olaughlin-murdered-indian-park-girl-john-wilson-murder-suspect-long-criminal-history-20111104

Killer taunted Kelli O'Laughlin's mom with texts from slain girl's phone, prosecutors say

 

The day after she found her daughter stabbed to death, Kelli O'Laughlin's mother started getting taunting texts, prosecutors said.





By  Ben Bradley  

Wednesday, September 03, 2014

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (WLS) --

The day after she found her daughter, Kelli O'Laughlin, stabbed to death in their Indian Head Park home, Brenda O'Laughlin started getting taunting texts from the 14-year-old girl's stolen cell phone.

"Hello Brenda"

"Love your pic"

"She wanted me to tell you something before I killed her."

"Think I'm in love with you Bren"

At first she did not respond while her husband called investigators, O'Laughlin told jurors at the murder trial of John Wilson Jr. But then she got another one.

"You got 2 min to text me before I break this phone."

She replied, "Who are you and what do you want?"

The answer, "You will know soon when I come see you."

Several days later, police arrested Wilson in the October 2011 murder of Kelli. The Lyons Township High School freshman was stabbed repeatedly after walking in during a burglary, police said.

Prosecutors said Wednesday that cell phone records show Wilson and Kelli's phones were with the same person as they traveled around the city. They also say DNA evidence from a knit cap left links Wilson to the crime scene.

"(Wilson) could've just run out and left the house. He didn't. He confronts and stabs (Kelli) repeatedly," prosecutor Guy Lisuzzo told jurors.

Wednesday was the first day of testimony in the murder case. During opening statements, Wilson's defense attorney said his client was innocent and suggested Kelli stabbed herself or was stabbed by someone else.

"It wasn't him," defense attorney Michelle Gonzalez said. "There's a lot of evidence that shows it could have been anyone. And the police just focused in on him."

Another witness testified that she saw and spoke with Wilson near the O'Laughlins' home on the day Kelli was murdered.

The trial at the Bridgeview Courthouse is expected to last about two weeks.


http://abc7chicago.com/news/prosecutors-mom-taunted-with-texts-from-slain-daughters-cell-phone/292456/

Whoever the killer is, he is cruel beyond words.  Disgusting.

Man convicted of murdering 14-year-old Indian Head Park girl

Posted: Sep 15, 2014 7:45 PM CDT
Updated: Sep 20, 2014 7:45 PM CDT

CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) - John L. Wilson was found guilty on all counts Monday in the 2011 stabbing death of 14-year-old Kelli O'Laughlin in her Indian Park Home, Pioneer Press is reporting.
The verdict came just two hours after closing arguments wrapped up in the case, which included an outburst from Wilson.

When prosecutors suggested John L. Wilson got rid of the shoes he was wearing Oct. 27, 2011, because they had blood on them, Wilson called out “You all weren't looking for the shoes.”

The outburst from Wilson, who chose not to testify, came during closing arguments Monday afternoon before jurors were given the case to deliberate.

Defense attorneys repeatedly noted that no one saw blood on Wilson's clothes the day of the murder at Kelli's Indian Head Park home, and evidence technicians did not detect blood on his clothes, which were confiscated when he was arrested.

Police never found the shoes Wilson can be seen wearing in the videos taken at a 7-Eleven and CTA security cameras the night O'Laughlin was killed. Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Guy Lisuzzo played a section of the recording from the 7-Eleven, in which Wilson can be heard talking to the clerk about wives and girlfriends.

Lisuzzo said as Wilson was waiting for his cab, “he gets a comfortable, he has a beer, he has to make small talk.”

The clerk said Wilson told him his girlfriend kicked him out, leaving him “way out here.” Wilson then says something about, “Women putting their hands on me, pulling knives on me.”

“He was putting his cover story together, but letting that little tidbit out,” Lisuzzo said. “That was a window into what he did that day.”

Defense attorney John Paul Carroll argued that the burglary in the O'Laughlin house could have been staged to cover up the daughter's suicide.

Carroll questioned Kelli's mother's actions after she came home from work and discovered her daughter's body face down in the kitchen. During Brenda O'Laughlin's 911 call, in which she said she thought her daughter committed suicide, the dispatcher advised her to go to her daughter and try to turn her onto her back.

When the 911 call was played in court, Brenda is heard saying she can't do that, “there is so much blood.” She then went outside to wait in the driveway for the police and ambulance to arrive.

“Was her testimony reasonable?” Carroll asked jurors. “Where would you stand if someone you loved was in there fighting for their life?”

Carroll noted that the parents' bedroom was ransacked, yet $400 in one drawer and $450 in another drawer were left behind, indicating money might not be the motive of the crime.

Other items were reported missing, such as foreign coins from the family's travels, loose change the father kept in a vase, four rolls of gold Sacajawea coins and Kelli's cellphone that she had with her when she got off the school bus that day.

Just because money was overlooked, that does not mean Wilson did not burglarize the house, Assistant State's Attorney Andreana Turano argued.

“He doesn't get to be rewarded because he missed something,” Turano said.

Lisuzzo said Carroll's suggestion that a parent might want to hide it if their daughter killed herself made no sense, because the mother herself told the 911 operator she thought her daughter had committed suicide.

If the mother's behavior was out of the ordinary, it was because, “her world had just been blown apart,” Lisuzzo said. He also reminded the jury, the Cook County medical examiner said the death was not a suicide.

Whether there was a murder, the police arrested the wrong man, Carroll said.

“Your task is not to solve the crime,” Carroll told jurors, saying it was up to them to determine “whether these county employees have presented enough evidence to eliminate any reasonable doubt” that Wilson killed Kelli.

Carroll said the charges against Wilson are based on three assumptions, that there is only one offender, that the offender did not have a vehicle and that he was a black man.

But the prosecutors said Carroll's theories are ridiculous.

Lisuzzo told the jury Carroll wants them to look everywhere except where the evidence leads.

The prosecutors said the DNA found on a red cap, the records from cellphone towers and witnesses who identified Wilson as the man they saw near Kelli's house before and after the stabbing death corroborate each other and point to Wilson as the murderer.

The prosecutors claim Wilson broke into the O'Laughlin house by wrapping a red knit hat around a rock and throwing it through a dining room window.

A forensic scientist detected Wilson's DNA on the cap, along with the DNA of another person, who did not live in the house.

On a recording from a security camera at a 7-Eleven in Willow Springs taken the evening Kelli died, Wilson appears to pay for a beer with a gold coin that the clerk taps on the cash register as though to check if it's real.

Wilson took a cab from the 7-Eleven to Midway Airport. The taxi driver testified Wilson paid the $20 fare entirely with coins, including a few coins from India and China that Brenda O'Laughlin said were the ones she had in her drawer.

“Is this just a horrible coincidence?” Lisuzzo asked.

Likewise an FBI agent analyzed records from cell towers and concluded that in the days after the crime, Wilson's Cricket phone and Kelli's Sprint phone moved about the city roughly in tandem.

“Anytime he moves, her phone moves,” Lisuzzo said.

The day after Kelli died, her mother got text and phone messages from her daughter's phone, including one that said, “she wanted to tell you something before I killed her.”

More than once, in disputing Carroll's “wild theories,” Lisuzzo pointed at Wilson seated with his lawyers, and said angrily, the man who killed Kelli O'Laughlin is sitting right here in the courtroom.

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/26539479/man-convicted-of-murdering-14-year-old-indian-head-park-girl