Paroled Mass Murderer Returns To Prison After Public Backlash
CHICAGO (CBS) - An elderly man convicted of mass murder 45 years ago is back in prison after residents of two Chicago area communities made it clear they did not want him living in their towns.
CBS 2's Jim Williams reports one advocate for inmates seeking parole calls the case "horrific."
Calumet City officials say Carl Reimann, 77, was, "dumped on this southern suburban community."
The Mayor of Calumet City is lashing out saying she is appalled the convicted mass murder was moved to her town without her knowledge.
"It wasn't OK in LaGrange, but it was OK for Calumet City. I kind of feel like it was insulting to us. How did they pick us?" said Calumet City's Mayor Michelle Mankiewicz Qualkinbush.
Last week, residents in LaGrange told CBS 2 they were angry and concerned Reimann was living in their town.
Reimann was released on parole in April after spending 45 years in prison for killing five people, including a 16-year-old girl, during a robbery at a steakhouse in 1972.
Days after residents in LaGrange complained, the state relocated Reimann to Memorial Drive in Calumet City. The mayor and city residents say they were in the dark until Reimann was already living there.
"We're not notified at all," said Qualkinbush. "The chief wasn't notified, the mayor's office wasn't notified."
City officials say they found out Reimann was living in their town after they were inundated with phone calls and emails from people living in the community.
Police Chief Christopher Fletcher said, "He has destroyed five families and that's a concern for our residents."
Attorney Alan Mills, who has represented inmates seeking parole, says Reimann has done his time and should be able to live in a residential community.
"The state of Illinois has already decided this man is not a danger to anybody," stated Mills. "He's spent the last decade plus, I believe, taking care of dying prisoners at Dixon in their hospice unit. He's done everything he possibly can to make up for his horrendous [crime.]"
Carl Reimann was moved out of Calumet City Wednesday morning and is back custody in Dixon, Ill., because he has nowhere else to live at this time.