Lyn Stua-Rittmanic had little idea her quest for closure – for some semblance of justice – could have taken so long.

So painfully long for the December 2021 murder of her wife, Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic and the wounding of Office Tyler Bailey.

Pre-trial hearings. Trial. Sentencing. More pre-trial hearings. Evaluations. Extensions. A postponed trial date. Jury selection. A delayed trial.

And through it all there has been Stua-Rittmanic. Seated in the Kankakee County Courthouse. Elbows on her knees. Head down.

“I just keep thinking back,” she shared this week in an interview with Shaw Local, “when she [Xandria Harris] opened the door, if she would have just said to the officers, ‘My kids are in here and he has a gun.’”

Her thought is that Bailey would not have suffered a career-ending and life-altering gunshot wound, fired by Harris’ then-boyfriend Darius Sullivan.

Her then-wife, Sgt. Rittmanic, would not have been fatally shot only moments after Bailey was wounded.

They would have backed away. They would have de-escalated the situation sparked by the Dec. 29, 2021, call about dogs barking in a vehicle outside the Comfort Inn.

But, of course, that is not how the shocking, late-night events on that cold December night transpired.

While Sullivan was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to life in prison following the September 2024 trial, last week’s news of the paused trial regarding the three felony charges against Harris is just the latest body blow absorbed by Stua-Rittmanic and the family and friends of the two former Bradley officers.

When the expected three-week trial was delayed last week, it left the spouse of the slain officer in anguish, as the case’s conclusion will likely take nearly five years.

Five long years.

“What would have been so hard about that?” Stua-Rittmanic rhetorically asked about the actions Harris could have – should have – taken.

The Harris legal team seems intent on presenting a type of battered partner defense. If successful, this defense could lead to felony charges against Harris related to the murder of one officer and the wounding of another being swept away.

Stua-Rittmanic said fallout from the entire episode continues to shake the very ground on which she seeks some form of stability.

Once-solid relationships have become less sturdy. She finds herself less social. Sorrow, grief, and depression are her current companions.

She said when with the Rittmanic family, her conversation often turned to the case and the loss.

“It’s hard on the family,” she conceded. Distance grew.

“Being together is a constant reminder,” she said.

Stua-Rittmanic wants justice, and she wanted it to happen at a much more brisk pace.

“This is too long. Justice should not take this long. This lady [Cierra Norris, Harris’ attorney] is just playing games.”

Frustration level understandable

Bradley Police Deputy Chief Adrian Provost, who was a close friend of Rittmanic during their time on the force, said the frustration level for survivors is understandable.

But the wheels of justice often do not move at the pace most want. He said Kankakee County Circuit Court Judge Kathy Bradshaw-Elliott is simply making sure everything is being completed properly.

“It’s just the way the process works. I know it extends the closure process. We just have to be patient,” he said.

Provost noted the wait is felt by the Bradley Police Department as well. He said each year the December date comes along, it hits the department. They feel frustration as well.

“Speed is not the main concern,” he said, noting the main focus is justice.

“Unfortunately, it is what it is. It was never going to be fast enough for the department nor the family. The correct outcome is the goal.”

Stua-Rittmanic attends every legal hearing. Provost has been on hand for the vast majority. Provost noted he was not in attendance for the two-plus days of the recent jury selection process.

The chaotic nature of the jury-seating process ultimately led to the need for more time.

More time means more waiting.

More time means more stalled life.

More time means more frustration, anger, tears.

Can’t get back in motion

Provost’s call for patience doesn’t resonate with Stua-Rittmanic.

“This is crazy. She [Judge Bradshaw-Elliott] clearly knows how long this is taking. She wants a fair trial, no reason for an appeal, so this doesn’t have to be done over,” Stua-Rittmanic said.

She noted she understands. But, she noted, this does take a toll on those left behind.

“Lots of people think I have it together. But I don’t.”

Stua-Rittmanic noted she resigned her position as an auditor with the state. She confessed she’s not doing much of anything.

“I’m just existing. I’ve lost a ton of friends and family.”

While not getting into specifics, Stua-Rittmanic said since that fateful day more than four years ago, she has done things of which she is not proud.

She said if not for this incident, Marlene would have accomplished much. She, in turn, believes she has failed to get much of anything done.

She thinks of volunteering at a pet shelter. She noted getting out of bed, at times, is a major challenge.

“I can’t get back in motion. I just can’t.”

Whatever the future may hold for Stua-Rittmanic will most likely not take place until Judge Bradshaw-Elliott gavels the Harris trial as finished.

Five years, she said. This legal battle will have taken almost five years to complete based on its current schedule. It has left her dumbfounded.

“In what world does that make sense? In what world is that OK?”

Editor’s note: Bradley Police Deputy Chief Adrian Provost and Journal writer Lee Provost are related.