Joliet Murder Defendant Confesses To April Shooting: Prosecutor

JOLIET, IL — The Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow has revealed in court documents that 19-year-old Joliet murder defendant Abraham Bibian has made a confession implicating himself in the April 4 deadly shooting of Jwaun Latrell Jones, who was 18.

Bibian and a 26-year-old Joliet woman, Paola Diaz, both remain in the Will County Jail. Bibian and Diaz are both charged with first-degree murder and Bibian is also charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

According to court documents submitted this week by Assistant Will County State's Attorney Peter Wilkes, Jones was fatally shot in the head as he sat inside a vehicle driving westbound on Western Avenue at North Bluff Street.

The location of the homicide was near the Cass Street Bridge over the Des Plaines River.

"The shooting of the victim was captured on a video surveillance system used by a commercial building immediately west of the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park parking lot near Western Avenue and North Bluff Street," the prosecution's motion indicates.

According to the prosecution's motion to consume physical evidence for DNA testing, "an individual, later learned to be defendant Abraham Bibian, is seen shooting a rifle at the victim's car. Defendant Bibian admitted to police he fired the weapon on the night of this murder."

Bibian and Diaz were both arrested by Joliet Police Department detectives within 48 hours of the city's only gun homicide during April. Each is facing a $1 million bail in connection with Joliet's second homicide of the year.

Prosecutors say that the murder weapon, an ammunition clip containing 10 live rounds, a live round recovered from the scene of the shooting and the sweatshirt believed to be worn by Bibian at the time of the shooting are being held by Illinois State Police Crime Lab and Joliet Police in evidence.

On April 27, Illinois State Police Crime Lab Forensic Scientist Julie Glasner notified Will County prosecutors that based on her analysis of the shell casings, the live round, a black and green rifle-caliber pistol, other live rounds recovered from a magazine and a magazine clip that DNA testing will consume any DNA found on these items, the motion from Wilkes and Glasgow outlined.

This week, Will County's prosecutors notified the criminal defense lawyers for Bibian and Diaz that a hearing on the motion to consume physical evidence for the DNA testing will be heard May 18 in front of Will County Circuit Judge Sarah Jones in Courtroom 501.

Diaz has hired Joliet attorney Paul Napolski, who has an office on Essington Road. Bibian has hired attorney Chuck Bretz who has an office on North Chicago Street in downtown Joliet.

Incidentally, Bretz has filed his own motion. The lawyer representing the 19-year-old Bibian has asked Jones to remove herself from handling his client's future murder case proceedings.

Bretz's motion "moves to substitute the honorable Judge Jones as the trial judge ... as a matter of right, on the grounds that Judge Jones is so prejudiced against the defendant that he cannot receive a fair trial, and requests a hearing instanter."

Joliet's Minor-Morris Funeral Home, run by Joliet City Councilman Terry Morris, handled the funeral services for the 18-year-old homicide victim. According to last month's obituary, Jwaun attended Edna Keith Elementary School, A.O. Marshall and Thompson School and was currently a senior at Country Club Hills-District 160.

"Jwaun enjoyed being with his family and friends," his obituary noted. "You could always find him dribbling a basketball and looking for the nearest basketball court. He also loved listening to rap music. His pit bull, Sheeba, was his baby, and she welcomed him home daily."