Feb. 19--The blame for a 2013 collision between a Chicago police vehicle and a woman driving to a funeral lies with police and not the man who led officers on a high-speed chase, the man's attorney said Wednesday as his client's murder trial began.
Cook County prosecutors allege Timothy Jones, 22, took part in an armed robbery in the Grand Crossing neighborhood and then led police on a chase east on 76th Street at speeds 20 mph above the speed limit. After Jones ran a red light at 76th and Yates Boulevard, a pursuing police vehicle about seven seconds behind him struck a car driven by Jacqueline Reynolds, 56, killing her, prosecutors said.
But Jones' attorney, Keith Spence, told jurors that Chicago police ignored their own rules -- including a so-called balancing test -- in deciding to pursue Jones through school zones and residential neighborhoods.
"The Chicago Police Department would like to put this on (Jones), but the CPD is the agency that has the duty to protect us from dangerous situations, including chases," he said. "Obviously, they failed the balancing test, they failed the public at large and they failed Jacqueline Reynolds.
"They chose to continue this high-speed chase recklessly through the streets of Chicago," Spence said.
He said the case wasn't a home invasion because Jones knew the alleged victim and they were involved in a credit-card fraud scheme together. Jones, who was home from a small Missouri university he attended on a football scholarship, went to the residence to collect money he was owed, Spence said.
However, the armed robbery victim later testified for the prosecution that he didn't know Jones and or why he decided to rob him.
In opening remarks, Assistant State's Attorney Barbara Bailey said the felony murder law in Illinois dictates that Jones be held responsible for Reynolds' death because it happened during the commission of an armed robbery, home invasion and residential burglary.
Jones and another man forced their way into an apartment in the 7800 block of South Ellis Avenue, Bailey said. The other man pointed a gun at a male resident who was there with his 19-month-old daughter while Jones rummaged for cash and property.
Jones then took the gun, pointed it at the man and demanded to know where the money was, she said.
The two men fled in a Chevrolet Sonic, which Jones had borrowed that morning from a cousin, saying he needed to pick up his high school transcript, according to trial testimony. At one point during the chase, Jones stopped the car and two occupants, who were never arrested, ran away.
Jones then led officers on a chase, driving over curbs and attempting to lose them down side streets, repeatedly barreling through red lights and ignoring stop signs, Bailey said. He narrowly avoided a collision at 76th and Yates himself before police struck Reynolds, she said.
"In the end, the defendant's plans that morning resulted in the death of Jacqueline Reynolds," she said.
The collision and parts of the chase were captured on surveillance cameras, according to prosecutors.
The robbery victim, Lee Davis, 24, testified he was home with his 19-month-old daughter when he heard a knock at the door. He figured it was his girlfriend, but two men pushed their way in. Davis identified Jones as wearing a red hoodie and said the other man pointed a gun at him and demanded money.
The two stole an iPad, iPhone, bank cards, a pair of Air Jordans and $93 before fleeing from the apartment building on hearing Davis' girlfriend and mother banging on a hallway door and screaming, according to testimony.
The case marks the first trial -- and only the second criminal proceeding -- in which cameras have been will be allowed in the courtroom as part of a pilot project in Cook County.
sschmadeke@tribpub.com
