Illegal Migrant Accused of Murdering Student Caught with Weapon in Jail
A Venezuelan immigrant charged with murdering a Loyola University student was caught with a homemade shank at Cook County jail, adding a contraband possession charge to his case.
Jose Medina-Medina, 26, was discovered with a 6-inch shank concealed in his pants during a search at Cook County jail on Thursday, according to New York Post. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the incident following reports that the murder suspect had obtained the makeshift weapon.
Prison staff conducted the search just after 8 a.m. following intelligence that Medina had acquired contraband. Officials described the confiscated item as a sharpened piece of metal with a handle constructed from medical tape.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office announced Friday that Medina now faces an additional charge of possession of contraband in a penal institution. Authorities have not disclosed what the suspect intended to do with the weapon.
Medina stands accused of killing Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old freshman at the private Jesuit university. The young woman from Yorktown Heights, New York, was fatally shot on March 19 during what investigators described as a random attack while she and friends searched for the northern lights near campus in the early morning hours.
According to authorities, Medina approached the group wearing a mask and fired a single shot that struck Gorman in the back.
The Venezuelan national was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated assault with discharge of a firearm, and aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon. He was booked into Cook County Jail on March 23 and has been held without bond since his arrest.
Medina has entered a not guilty plea to all charges. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole, as Illinois abolished capital punishment in 2011.
His defense attorney has argued that Medina suffers from cognitive impairment resulting from a previous gunshot wound to the head sustained during a robbery in Colombia, where he lived with his mother. The injury allegedly left Medina with missing brain tissue and required him to relearn basic functions including walking and talking.
Defense lawyer Julie Koehler told the court during Medina’s arraignment that her client currently has the brain development of a child.
The victim’s parents have sharply criticized immigration policies that permitted their daughter’s alleged killer to enter the United States illegally in 2019 and remain free before the murder.
Jessica Gorman, Sheridan’s mother, told CBS Mornings in April that policy changes are essential regardless of political affiliation. Thomas Gorman, the victim’s father, emphasized during the same interview that while they cannot save their daughter, inaction in the face of policy failures is unacceptable.
With information from New York Post
