2 men convicted of killing CFD Lt. Dwain Williams after rare triple jury trial; 3rd man pleads guilty
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two men were convicted on Wednesday by two different juries in the 2020 slaying of a retired Chicago firefighter during an attempted carjacking.
The criminal trial began with three separate juries for three young men charged in the murder of retired Chicago Fire Lt. Dwain Williams, 65, but one of the three defendants took a plea deal after the trial started, and agreed to testify against the other two.
Williams was leaving his favorite popcorn store, Let's Get Poppin popcorn store at 11758 S. Western Ave. in Morgan Park, on Dec. 2, 2020, and was walking to his Jeep, when a stolen four-door dark-colored sedan pulled up and four teens got out and bum rushed him. It was all caught on surveillance video – and it all happened fast.
The carjackers fired at Williams, and Williams returned fire with his legally-possessed weapon. Williams was shot in the abdomen and was later pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
The trial for three of those men - Devin Barron, Dwain Johnson, and Jaylen Saulsberry – began last week. Each faced multiple felony charges, including first-degree murder, aggravated attempted vehicular hijacking, aggravated battery, and possession of a stolen vehicle.
Each of the three defendants was assigned his own separate jury - a move allowing each of them to present different defenses without the need for three independent trials.
CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller said such a triple jury trial may be unprecedented in Cook County history.
"I don't think we've ever had a triple jury here in Cook County, or even the State of Illinois," Miller said. "We've had a lot of double juries. We've had double juries plus a third defendant, his case being decided by the judge – a bench trial. But that's the closest we've ever come to a triple jury."
After the trial began, Johnson took a plea deal, pleading guilty to aggravated battery, and agreeing to testify against Saulsberry and Barron. A fourth person who had been charged in the case, David Williams - who was 15 at the time - also testified at the trial after accepting a plea deal. He had been charged as a juvenile.
The juries for Barron and Saulsberry found both men guilty of all charges on Wednesday. Their sentencing hearings have yet to be scheduled, but they are due back in court in August for post-trial motions.
Prosecutors are recommending a 30-year sentence for Johnson as part of his plea deal.