An inmate from Hazel Crest who testified Thursday he was in the car and saw a 16-year-old shoot Charles Baird at a New Lenox gas station in 2020, said his mom and police encouraged him to identify the shooter to avoid being charged with aiding in the killing.
Whitfield, who is serving a five-year sentence at the Illinois Department of Corrections for unlawful use of a weapon, testified that in June 2020, New Lenox police visited his home in Hazel Crest to question him about the shooting.
During cross-examination, Whitfield, who had been recalled after not being sworn in during his testimony on Thursday, said his mother did most of the talking during his questioning.
He recalled for Will County Assistant Public Defender Samantha Kerins that the police told him they already knew he was involved and that others had identified him as the shooter.
“And your mom talks to you about how her brother was murdered, right, and how the shooter who actually murdered him got in trouble, right, and everyone else who was involved also was charged with murder, right?” Kerins asked Whitfield. “And they all went to prison, and she told you that this was a moment for you, right? That this was a time to save yourself.”
Whitfield also testified he believed he was expecting a child and would do anything to stay with his family.
The defendant, now 21 and from Harvey, was arrested 19 hours after the shooting and is on trial for first-degree murder. The Daily Southtown is not using his name because he was a minor at the time.
Earlier, Whitfield had testified he witnessed the defendant shoot Baird in the back and said the defendant had taken Whitfield’s gun from their stolen vehicle to commit the murder.
Whitfield testified he told police he burned his clothes from the night of the shooting and described the defendant as wearing a blue sweatshirt and blue jeans.
He was also taking Xanax frequently during the time of the shooting and there were four other people in the car with him, Whitfield said.
Though granted immunity in exchange for his testimony, Whitfield said he was testifying reluctantly and had wanted to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
Whitfield said after the shooting the defendant returned to the stolen car and claimed he shot Baird because he “feared for his life.”
The defendant waived his right to testify.
At the start of the trial, Jason Strzelecki, the Will County assistant public defender representing the defendant, said he intended to call the defendant’s older brother as an alibi witness.
However, the brother was never called to testify.
Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak denied the defense’s motion for a directed verdict Monday, in which they argued the evidence presented by the state was insufficient to meet the burden of proof.
Prosecutor Katie Rabenda argued video footage from the Circle K corroborated the eyewitness testimony of 20-year-old Marquez Whitfield. The footage showed the shooter wearing distinctive clothing, including a black long-sleeved shirt, pants and shoes with a white stripe — an outfit the defendant was seen wearing in the months leading up to the shooting, she said.
Rabenda said at the time of the defendant’s arrest, he was walking with a bow-legged gait due to an injury. Security footage from the gas station showed the shooter with a noticeable limp as he ran toward the stolen vehicle before driving away.
Additionally, DNA evidence from a cigarette butt recovered from the stolen Lockport car was a match to the defendant, she said.
Closing arguments are set to begin Tuesday afternoon at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet.
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