A Chicago man was found guilty Monday of fatally stabbing a 14-year-old girl nearly three years ago after she surprised him as he burglarized her family’s west suburban home.
John Wilson Jr., 41, was charged with murder, armed robbery and home invasion in the death of Kelli O’Laughlin, of Indian Head Park
After a weeklong trial and nearly six hours of closing arguments, jurors began deliberations shortly before 5 p.m. They delivered a verdict about two hours later.
The packed gallery included Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.
“For anyone who’s a parent, this crime hits home,” she said.
Prosecutors said Wilson stabbed Kelli repeatedly with a knife he found in the family’s kitchen when the Lyons Township High School freshman walked in on him after returning home from school.
The evidence showed that only Wilson could have broken into the victim’s home on Oct. 27, 2011, according to prosecutors.
DNA from a knit cap found in the home was linked to Wilson, said Assistant State’s Attorney Guy Lisuzzo.
“Is this a horrible coincidence for him, or is it that he’s the man that killed Kelli O’Laughlin that day?” Lisuzzo asked jurors.
Lisuzzo also said that cellphone records showed the victim’s phone — which was stolen from the scene — moved in tandem with Wilson’s phone in the days after her slaying. The stolen phone, prosecutors said, helped lead them to Wilson, who used it to send Kelli’s mother a series of cruel text messages.
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Wilson’s attorney, John Paul Carroll, said authorities ignored other possible suspects and instead focused on his client because he is black.
“Mr. Wilson is just convenient because he’s black, homeless and sometimes a bit odd,” Carroll said.
Kelli’s mother found her a little more than an hour later, after arriving home from work. She called 911 to report that she believed her daughter had committed suicide.
Wilson was arrested about a week later, after investigators tracked his phone to a CTA station on Chicago’s South Side. He had spent all but three of the last 20 years in prison.
Jurors, who were not given a lunch break, sat impassively as attorneys made final arguments.
Afterward, Kelli’s parents, John and Brenda O’Laughlin, thanked the prosecutors and police.
Ward is a freelance reporter. Walberg is a Tribune reporter.