Teen lovers charged in Illinois for killing 5 family members
“There’s really a loss for words. Nobody can prepare for another family member massacring the rest of your family members,”
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“There’s really a loss for words. Nobody can prepare for another family member massacring the rest of your family members,”
Two teenagers, a male and a female, have been charged in connection with the killings of five family members in East St. Louis, Illinois, after investigators said a series of shootings across three locations left five people dead and two others critically injured.
Authorities said the violence unfolded Sunday at locations including Jones Park and the Samuel Gompers public housing complex. Police allege the victims were all related to the female suspect, reports ABC affiliate.
The older suspect, 16-year-old Ja’ymeir Davis, has been charged as an adult in St. Clair County Circuit Court. Prosecutors filed five counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated battery, one count of dismembering a human body, one count of aggravated vehicular hijacking, and one count of unlawful use of a stolen firearm.
According to the prosecutor's office, Davis was automatically charged as an adult under the Illinois Juvenile Court Act because first-degree murder is excluded from juvenile jurisdiction for defendants who are 16 or older.
A 15-year-old girl, who has not been publicly identified because of her age, is also accused in the killings. She faces first-degree murder charges through a juvenile delinquency petition. Prosecutors are seeking to have her case transferred to adult court under Illinois law.
The five victims were identified as Patricia May, 74; Cheri May, 49; Devin May, 24; Quentin Thompson, 21; and Shania Thompson, 25.
Court documents allege Cheri May was killed sometime after July 5, while the other four victims died between July 11 and July 12. The filings also state that one victim's thumb was cut off after she had been killed.
East St. Louis Councilman Courtney Hoffman II questioned what could have led to the killings.
“It makes you wonder, what would make them do such a thing?” Hoffman said. “That’s where I’m at with it. Like, why? What would be the reason?”
Miranda May, a cousin of one of the suspects, described the killings as a massacre.
“It’s unfortunate what happened. There’s really a loss for words. Nobody can prepare for another family member massacring the rest of your family members,” Miranda May said.
Marcus May, the father of the female suspect, said he lost his mother, sister, and nephew in the attack.
“I can’t show her no sympathy. I hate to be like that, especially in this time. But it is what it is,” Marcus May said.
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