YORKVILLE – Flamboyant Chicago mob lawyer Joe “The Shark” Lopez is accustomed to being at the center of high-profile criminal cases.
Known for his pink socks, expensive suits and gregarious manner, Lopez defended mob boss Frank Calabrese in the famous Family Secrets trial and former Bolingbrook police officer Drew Peterson on charges he murdered his wife.
Lopez’ notoriety has gained him guest appearances on the “Chicago P.D.” TV drama and he made headlines several years ago when he was acquitted of hitting a client in the mouth in a courthouse lockup.
Now, he is representing one of the two men charged in a 2020 Boulder Hill drive-by shooting that left two women dead.
Lopez and client James E. Brown Jr. appeared before Kendall County Circuit Judge Robert Pilmer on Feb. 1 for a status hearing on the murder case.
Brown, 29, of North Aurora, and Jaquarance Handley, 34, of Joliet, both have been indicted on charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery and aggravated discharge of a firearm.
In what police described as an attempted gangland hit, the two allegedly used an AR-15 rifle to shoot into a home on Sierra Road in unincorporated Boulder Hill the morning of Nov. 11, 2020, resulting in the deaths of two women.
Cassandra Chatman died shortly afterward at a nearby hospital, while her adult daughter, Changina Chatman, died from her injuries several months later.
The intended target of the shooting escaped, while Brown and Handley were arrested within hours of the attack.
Since then, Brown has remained in the Kendall County jail, while Handley is serving a sentence in Pontiac Correctional Center on aggravated battery convictions for attacking corrections officers in the Kendall County lockup.
In court, a shackled Brown stood next to Lopez as the judge set a May 12 date for the next hearing in the case, with an eye toward a trial in June.
“He’s holding up well,” Lopez said of his client. “He has a very supportive family. He’s anxious to get to trial.”
Brown admitted to being a member of a street gang during an interview with law enforcement after the shooting, according to court documents.
Lopez said a medical report on one of the murder victims has yet to be received. This was confirmed by Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis and Kendall County Public Defender Chris Wheaton, who is representing Handley.
Both Weis and Wheaton said Handley is due to appear in court Feb. 2, when the result of a “fitness evaluation” is expected to be delivered.
Prior to being sent to prison, Handley’s stay at the Kendall County jail was marked by assaults on jail guards and a habit of smearing human excrement on the walls of his cell.
Late last spring, when Handley refused to appear in court for a hearing, Pilmer walked across the parking lot from the courthouse and held the proceedings at the jail.
Handley, who appeared to be naked, stood at the window of a holding cell, screaming unintelligible objections.
The evaluation is expected to determine whether Handley is fit to stand trial on the murder charges.