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Qaw'mane Wilson, Man Accused of Ordering Mom's Murder, to Plead Not Guilty

By Adeshina Emmanuel | January 22, 2014 11:06am
 Qaw'mane Wilson, a 24-year-old man whose stage name is " Young QC ," allegedly enlisted the help of two other people to kill his mother Yolanda Holmes, the owner of Nappy Headz Salon, on Sept. 2, 2012.
Qaw'mane Wilson
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UPTOWN — Qaw'mane Wilson’s lawyer Stephen L. Richards told DNAinfo Chicago this week that his client — facing murder charges after allegedly orchestrating his mother's death — plans to plead not guilty.

“We don’t have to tell anybody any more than that right now — just not guilty," he added.

Wilson's next court date is Feb. 7.

Yolanda Holmes, a successful salon owner and active member of the Uptown community, was found shot and stabbed to death on Sept. 2, 2012 at her home in the 1000 block of West Montrose Avenue. Prosecutors said Wilson emptied more than $90,000 from her bank accounts and received payouts from two of her life insurance policies after she died.

According to court documents, Wilson admitted to arranging a robbery that led to his mother's death, and the getaway driver admitted to driving a friend of Wilson's there to commit a robbery.

However, the man who allegedly killed Holmes also told detectives that Wilson asked him to commit murder, court documents allege.

Wilson, a 24-year-old local entertainer known as Young QC, was officially indicted on murder charges Friday, along with 22-year-old Eugene Spencer, the friend prosecutors say he hired for the crime, and 23-year-old Loriana Johnson, implicated as the getaway driver.

Attempts to reach attorneys for Spencer and Johnson were unsuccessful.

Wilson swapped his public defender last week for Richards, a private lawyer.

“We are grateful and glad that he has a private attorney. That way he can get a fair trial,” said Zion Banks, Holmes' cousin and family spokeswoman. “We just have to let due process take its course. I think we need to see how this plays out in the judicial process."

Earlier this month, Banks said family members have been split when it comes to supporting or turning their back on Wilson, who flaunted his deep pockets on social media after Holmes' death. One of his cousins entered the courtroom at a hearing last Monday to scream: “You’re going to hell, Qaw’mane!” 

"Qaw'mane does have a family, and he is loved," Banks said. "How do we move forward? We all loved Yolanda, we all love Qaw'mane. How do we move forward?"