Wednesday, February 6, 2013
One hearing after his pro se motion was granted, John L. Wilson received 2,600 pages of discovery documents Wednesday. His request to have his hands freed from cuffs during future proceedings will be considered in March.
The man charged with the 2011 murder of 14-year-old Lyons Township student Kelli O’Laughlin was back in court Wednesday morning, and during the first hearing since a granted pro se motion allowed John L. Wilson to represent himself, signed for thousands of pages worth of documents a defendant's lawyer would typically hold. Wilson, dressed in a yellow and green jumpsuit and surrounded by several armed guards, signed with cuffed hands four receipts acknowledging the state's turnover of about 2,600 pages of discovery documents to the defendant. The pages will be transported by law enforcement officers to the Pontiac, IL, prison housing Wilson. Wilson asked presiding judge John Hynes if the documents could be mailed to him personally in the …
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
John L. Wilson, who is charged with the 2011 child murder in Indian Head Park, has been granted a motion of pro se with only stand-by counsel.
The man accused in the October 2011 murder of 14-year-old Kelli O’Laughlin in her Indian Head Park home has been granted the right to serve as his own lawyer as the case proceeds toward a likely trial. John L. Wilson was granted a pro se motion on Dec. 19 by presiding judge John Hynes. A public defender has been appointed as stand-by counsel. Defendants have the right to represent themselves even against their own self-interest, said Pat Reardon, first assistant public defender for Cook County, and no one can stop them from exercising that right. But lawyers tend to think it’s a bad call. “Frankly, from the view of the public defender, it’s a nightmare,” Reardon said. “There’s an old saying that a person who has himself for a lawyer has a …
Sunday, December 9, 2012
But there has been the occasional bright spot, like this story about what a bloodhound dog named after Kelli just did.
The second Christmas season since 14-year-old Kelli O'Laughlin was slain in her Indian Head Park home has been tougher for the girl's family than the first, "when the numbness had yet to wear off," The Doings Western Springs reports. However, the paper also reports that Kelli's mother, Brenda O'Laughlin, did get good news of a sort recently when the Cook County Sheriff's office called to tell her that a bloodhound named for Kelli had saved a life on her first-ever assignment by finding someone in the woods who had allegedly just attempted to take his own life. “I was so excited, because of what had happened earlier that day. I found an angel hovering over a child, and then the Kelli dog goes out and finds someone,” O’Laughlin told the …
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Hundreds of locals showed up for the fundraising run in memory of Kelli O'Laughlin in the spirit of keeping the slain teen's memory alive.
- VOLUNTEERS IN THE NEWS
- Darren McRoy
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Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Just a few weeks after the one-year memorial ceremony for slain teen Kelli O'Laughlin, students and community members packed the fields of Lyons Township South Campus on Sunday to raise money and keep Kelli's memory and spirit alive, ABC7 reported. "One time, she said, 'Mom, you don't know how many friends I have," and I [said,] 'no, I know you have a lot,' she goes, 'no, I have a lot,'" Kelli's mother Brenda told the station. "It really shows how many friends she really did have." The event was a fundraiser for the Kelli Joy O'Laughlin Memorial Fund, which had already provided two scholarships for LT students. Read the full story and watch two videos from the ABC7 website.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
John L. Wilson, Jr., is scheduled to appear in court again next month.
John L. Wilson, Jr., the man charged with the brutal murder of 14-year-old Lyons Township freshman Kelli O'Laughlin, is scheduled to appear in court next month for a status hearing. The case against the Chicago man, who had been out on parole at the time he burglarized the teen's Indian Head Park home, has progressed slowly. Wilson was taken into custody on November 2, 2011, six days after prosecutors say he stabbed the teen to death. He was charged with first-degree murder. READ: Suspect Charged With O'Laughlin Murder Has Long Criminal History Wilson was presented with a 31-count felony indictment that included charges of first-degree murder, residential burglary, armed robbery, aggravated unlawful restraint and home invasion on …
Sunday, October 28, 2012
On a Saturday night exactly one year after a girl’s murder stunned the Lyons Township community, residents gathered to remember dedicate a new memorial.
On October 27, 2011, the horrific murder of teenager Kelli O’Laughlin roiled the Lyons Township community, precipitating a yearlong outpouring that shows no sign of waning. On October 27, 2012, hundreds of community members flooded tiny Sacajawea Park in northwest Indian Head Park to dedicate a new memorial beside Kelli’s Playground, as the park’s structure has now been officially renamed. It was Kelli’s—and her family’s—name for the park, which is just about as old as Kelli would have been. The memorial consists of a plaque, a bench and an eastern redbud tree, which will flower in the bright purple that has become a symbol for Kelli’s memory. On the plaque are inscribed lyrics from Disney’s The Fox and the Hound: “Goodbye may seem forever…
Friday, October 26, 2012
Patch takes a look at the efforts over the past year, inspired by the 14-year-old Lyons Township freshman, who was murdered in her Indian Head Park home.
It has been nearly a year since 14-year-old Kelli O'Laughlin was murdered in her Indian Head Park home. Police say the Lyons Township freshman walked in as her house was being burglarized on October 27, 2011 and was stabbed to death. The horrific crime motivated not only friends and family—but also strangers—to volunteer their time at events that would honor her memory. In the year since her death, numerous organizations have held fundraisers and charity projects to raise money for the Kelli Joy O'Laughlin Memorial Fund, which provides scholarships and educational opportunities for young people. As the O'Laughlin family prepares for a memorial service on the anniversary of her death, Patch takes a look at the events that have taken place …
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
The fundraiser will come just a year after the murder that shocked and grieved the Lyons Township community and will raise for Kelli O’Laughlin’s memorial fund.
- VOLUNTEERS IN THE NEWS
- Darren McRoy
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Wednesday, October 10, 2012
As the Lyons Township community approaches one year of mourning Kelli O’Laughlin, the Indian Head Park teen slain in her home late last October, her family and the Kelli Joy O’Laughlin Memorial Fund have announced a race event for November 11 to benefit the fund. “As we mark one year since Kelli’s passing, we have been inspired by her everlasting spirit,” said Kelli’s mother Brenda in a press release. “We strive to keep her zest for life alive in our own pursuits to make our communities a better place, one neighbor and one block at a time.” The “Run for Kelli” event, a 5k run (three miles) on LT’s cross-country course, will be held Nov. 11 at Lyons Township High School South Campus in Western Springs, with four start times from 7:30 a.m. …
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Lyons Township High School tennis players received new uniforms from the family of Kelli O'Laughlin. Jerseys will be monogrammed with the LT logo and Kelli's initials.
The girls tennis teams at Lyons Township High School gathered today at the South Campus tennis courts to receive a gift from the family of Kelli O'Laughlin. Brenda and John O'Laughlin, the parents of Kelli, hugged players as they passed out the team's new uniforms. "We really haven't had jerseys supplied by the school in about 14 years," said head tennis coach Bill Wham. "Every year we've had hit parents up for $150, so it will be a big help." Previously, the team's uniforms have been piecemeal athletic shirts and blue shorts, without much uniformity. Now, each player will have a white tennis skirt and a white and blue athletic tank top that will soon have the LT logo and Kelli O'laughlin's initials monogrammed on them. "Wear them with …
Monday, August 20, 2012
Organizers of the weekend concert raised over $4,000 for the Kelli O'Laughlin Memorial Fund in an event designed to bring the community together and reflect on her memory.
At 6:59 p.m. on Saturday night, Mark Gomez, 15, paced nervously back and forth backstage in the Reber Center Auditorium at Lyons Township High School's North Campus. Roughly 15 minutes before the first act was supposed to go onstage for the, he was wrangling crew members, organizing performers and making sure everything was on track for the show to begin. A few minutes later, Gomez joined his fellow concert organizers and the stage crew behind the curtain for a group huddle and a moment of reflection. The group broke with a clap and the signal was given that it was time for the first performers to head out on stage. Gomez has been busy the last few weeks of his summer vacation, organizing, Joy: a concert to honor the memory of his friend …
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Deb
8:51 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Keep those cuffs on this career criminal! As always, my thoughts and prayers are with Kelli's parents. May their strength and fortitude carry them through this difficult time. more ›