Alleged Boulder Hill shooter hints at representing himself in court

STORY UPDATED AT 5 P.M., TUESDAY, FEB. 2

One of the alleged shooters in last November’s Boulder Hill drive-by shooting that killed one woman said in court he might represent himself in his case.

Jaquarance Handley, 31, of the 900 block of Bluebell Circle in Joliet, appeared remotely in a pre-trial hearing Tuesday, Feb. 2 on the four felony charges he faces from last fall’s deadly shooting. Handley has retained Yorkville defense attorney Jason Majer of Majer, Sheen & Piereth for the case.

In the hearing, Judge Robert Pilmer granted Majer’s request to provide discovery materials, including evidence, to his client, though Handley would have to return them once his case is resolved.

“At the conclusion of the case, whenever this case is over with, what discovery materials you have received from your attorney you would need to return to your attorney,” Pilmer told Handley.

But the Joliet man hinted Tuesday that he may act as his own attorney in the future.

“Please help me understand why it is a big deal for me (to have discovery materials), because I might want to go pro se and fight my own case until my lawyer comes in,” Handley said, attending court via Zoom while in custody at the Kendall County Jail on a $2 million bond.

“If you are representing yourself, which is not something I recommend... I’ll further provide that if that’s the case any discovery materials which are provided directly to you then would need to be returned to the state,” Pilmer replied.

Handley’s attorney added that if discovery produced evidence such as videos related to the crime, he didn’t know what capacity Handley had to review it while in custody.

The case against Handley stems from a drive-by shooting that occurred in the late morning hours of Nov. 11 in the 0 to 99 block of Sierra Road in Boulder Hill. Authorities said the assailants shot an AR-15 into a residential home in a botched gang hit, killing one woman and gravely injuring another while the intended target managed to flee.

Handley and his alleged accomplice in the shooting, James E. Brown Jr., 26, of the 200 block of Linn Court, North Aurora, both face felony charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated discharge of a firearm.

Kendall County authorities apprehended the pair and recovered the reported murder weapon within hours of the shooting with assistance from local residents and the Aurora Police Department.

Brown has retained lawyer Joseph Lopez for his case, a well-known Chicago criminal attorney who has previously represented high-profile figures in organized crime.

Handley will be due back in court for another pre-trial hearing on Tuesday, March 23. Brown is set to appear in court again next Tuesday, Feb. 9.