Jurors needed about six hours to convict Dimitri Green-Hosey of a 2014 murder inside an Aurora restaurant.
Hosey, 21, of Joliet, was found guilty of murder and armed robbery counts in connection to the January 2014 shooting death of Arin Williams. Hosey and his brother Jaquan arranged to buy marijuana at the now-closed La Torta restaurant on Lake Street, but instead planned to rob Williams of the drugs. Hosey shot Williams in the head during the robbery, but claimed at trial that he had acted in self defense.
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Jurors heard testimony on Monday and Tuesday before arriving at a verdict late Wednesday night. A date for sentencing was not immediately known.
Earlier Wednesday, Hosey took the witness stand in his own defense, laboring at times during cross-examination by prosecutors who attacked his claim of self-defense for shooting Williams.
“I just shot, man,” Hosey, 21, repeatedly offered in response to several different questions from Assistant State’s Attorney Mark Stajdohar about details surrounding the murder. Since the January 2014 shooting, prosecutors have alleged Hosey and his brother arranged the drug buy with the intention of robbing Williams. Jaquan has pleaded guilty to his role in the shooting and is awaiting his sentence.
During questioning by attorney Robert Lewin, Hosey, wearing a suit and glasses, described how Williams and Jaquan weighed out marijuana on a scale inside the restaurant’s bathroom. The brothers agreed to buy an ounce from Williams for $300, but Hosey said the amount Williams had was several grams short. That prompted Jaquan to grab the pot and begin leaving the bathroom, Hosey testified.
Williams reached toward his waistband, Hosey said, and the handle of a gun was visible. Hosey went at Williams and they struggled.
“I went after the gun. The gun fell on the ground. We were pushing each other trying to get the gun,” Hosey said, denying he brought a gun to the restaurant that night. “I picked the gun up. I was scared. I felt it were me or him.
“I shot him … I just shot,” Hosey explained.
Hosey and his brother fled the restaurant toward the Fox River. Hosey tossed the gun into the river and he eventually went to his sister’s residence at Sage Crest Apartments.
“I cut my hair. I put bleach on myself and took a shower,” Hosey said of his actions after the shooting, which later included calling his mother to say he loved her and that he had “(expletive) up.”
Hosey’s tone and demeanor changed when Stajdohar pressed for a better understanding of Hosey’s version of events. Hosey appeared sullen, his voice low, as he fumbled for words at times to explain how the situation went down inside the bathroom. At one point, Hosey acknowledged to Stajdohar that he had a better recollection of details he felt helped his story.
Stajdohar’s questions attacked Hosey’s self-defense claim by pointing out the then-18-year-old didn’t yell out for help to his brother or restaurant workers when Williams supposedly brandished the gun, nor did he tell his mother or sister what had happened. Hosey admitted he didn’t call police or emergency personnel to report someone pulled a gun on him. Hosey said he ran and threw the gun in the river because he was scared of going to jail.
In one exchange with Stajdohar, Hosey labored to describe the sequence of events once Jaquan grabbed the marijuana and began to leave the bathroom area. Hosey said he pushed Williams’ hand away from the gun, causing it to hit the floor and then end up behind the pair as they struggled. However, Hosey couldn’t clearly describe where he or Williams were positioned — standing, on the ground or somewhere in between — when he pulled the trigger or where Williams was shot.
“I really don’t know. I just shot, man,” he said in a quietly dismissive voice.
At another point, Hosey suggested that Williams carried the handgun in his waistband with the hammer ready to fire and all three safeties off.
Dan Campana is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News