Jailed man's request to attend brother's funeral denied

A judge did not allow the incarcerated brother of a teen who disappeared and was later found dead to attend his funeral, largely, he said, out of safety concerns.

The Will County Sheriff's Office is investigating the death of 18-year-old Jaheim "JT" Terry, who disappeared July 7. Terry's body was found July 13 in an an empty lot in Joliet Township, police said.

During a court hearing Friday, Detective R.J. Austin of the Sheriff’s Office testified that Terry was once wounded in a gang shooting.

After the hearing, Deputy Chief Dan Jungles said the November 2018 attack was a drive-by shooting of Terry's home that left him with five bullet wounds to his right arm.

Relatives told deputies the drive-by was in retaliation for Terry shooting up a rival's home, according to Jungles.

Austin told Judge Dave Carlson that the sheriff’s office believed if Terry’s brother Demetrius Coleman, 19, a Will County jail inmate, was allowed to attended Terry’s funeral on Saturday, there would be “retaliation.”

“It would put the sheriff’s office and the public in great danger,” Austin said.

Coleman has been in jail since June 7 charges of possession of a firearm without an owner’s identification card and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

Austin also said the sheriff’s office would have no staffing to transport Coleman to Terry’s funeral, which Coleman’s attorney Alex Beck called “ridiculous,” as he believed the sheriff has “plenty of deputies” for the task.

“I don’t think it’s unreasonable,” Beck said of Coleman’s request.

Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Chris Koch said allowing Coleman to attend the funeral would put him, the sheriff’s office, the church staff and anyone else in the community at risk.

“You have a very volatile and emotional situation,” Koch said.

Koch said the sheriff's office has concerns that Terry's funeral may face the same danger as the attendees who were shot at a funeral on July 21 in Chicago's Gresham neighborhood. At least 15 people were shot and police blamed the incident on an ongoing gang rivalry, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Beck questioned whether there was evidence of a threat in relation to Terry’s funeral.

“All we are asking is for a brother to go to a murdered brother’s funeral for 15 minutes and say goodbye,” Beck said.

Carlson denied Coleman’s emergency motion. He said Coleman’s in jail on a “reasonable bond” of $50,000.

“It sounds very cold and callous but that’s the reality,” Carlson said.

Carlson said he’s also denying the motion out of concerns for the safety of Coleman and others at the funeral, as well as the short window of time for the sheriff’s office to carry out the task.

“If they’re going to shoot your brother then who’s to say they’re not going to shoot you?” Carlson asked.