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Second Teen Charged In Slaying of Retired Police Sgt. Elmer Brown

By  Josh McGhee and Erin Meyer | September 17, 2014 7:55am | Updated on September 17, 2014 8:19pm

 The teen is charged with first-degree murder and two counts of home invasion.
The teen is charged with first-degree murder and two counts of home invasion.
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DNAinfo/Quinn Ford

CHICAGO — A second teen has been charged with the murder of retired police officer Elmer Brown in his Southeast Side home in March.

Jeremy Mendez, 16, believed there was a safe full of money in Brown's East Side house, prosecutors said.  Along with at least two accomplices, including 18-year-old Jesse Kazmierski, the group cooked up a plan to rob, prosecutors said.

Elmer, 73, and his 72-year-old wife were at home, watching television, on March 10 around 11:40 p.m. when Mendez and one of his accomplices knocked on their front door, Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Jamie Santini said.

Brown's wife opened the door to the two of them, the hoods of their sweatshirts tied tightly around their faces, Santini said. One of the alleged robbers said, "Help, we need help." When Mrs. Brown opened the door, they forced their way into the house.

One of the robbers demanded to know where the safe was, Santini said. Elmer Brown directed them upstairs. 

Laying on the floor of her living room as the robbers ransacked her home, Brown's wife heard a single gunshot, Santini said. She lifted her head to see her husband lying in the hallway.

Elmer Brown suffered a gunshot wound to the face and neck, prosecutors said. The robbers ran away without ever finding a safe. Instead, they allegedly stole a gun and a knife belonging to the victim.

Brown, a retired police sergeant with 38 years on the force, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where he underwent emergency surgery and was listed in critical condition. Nearly two weeks later, Brown was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.

An autopsy ruled Brown's death a homicide. He died from a gunshot wound, artery disease and renal failure, according to the morgue.

Mendez was charged as an adult Wednesday with first-degree murder and two counts of home invasion. A Cook County judge ordered him held without bail during a brief court hearing Wednesday.

Kazmierski, 18, of Hammond, Ind., was charged earlier this month with first-degree murder and home invasion for Brown's death, according to ABC7 Chicago.

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