Court awaits psychological evaluation of defendant in Boulder Hill murder case

YORKVILLE – A Kendall County court is awaiting the results of a psychological evaluation to determine if one of the two men charged with murder in a 2020 Boulder Hill double homicide is fit to stand trial.

Jaquarance Handley is serving time in Pontiac Correctional Center for assaulting corrections officers at the Kendall County jail in Yorkville and faces murder and weapons charges in connection with the deaths of two women.

Handley, 33, of Joliet, and James E. Brown, 29, of North Aurora each 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.

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.

Handley’s defense attorney, Chris Wheaton of the Kendall County Public Defender’s Office, said the fitness evaluation is being performed by forensic psychiatrist Terry M. Killian of Springfield.

It was believed that Handley would be transported by the Department of Corrections from Pontiac to appear at the Kendall County Courthouse for a hearing Feb. 2, but this did not happen.

Kendall County Circuit Judge Robert Pilmer set a Feb. 23 status hearing date, when it is expected that the results of the evaluation will be presented.

If the evaluation finds Handley fit to stand trial, it is likely the judge will set a trial date for Handley, who would be tried separately from Brown.

Handley’s mental state appears to have been called into question because of his behavior in the Kendall County lockup after his arrest in connection with the Boulder Hill killings.

According to the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office, Handley frequently smeared the walls of his jail cell with human excrement. He was convicted on aggravated assault charges for throwing feces at jail guards and spitting on them.

Late last spring, when Hanley 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.

Meanwhile, Brown appeared in court Feb. 1 with his defense attorney, well-known Chicago mob lawyer Joe “The Shark” Lopez.

Pilmer set May 12 as the next hearing date for Brown, with the case expected to go to trial in June.