COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — Two alleged gang members convicted in the 2011 basketball court slaying of a 13-year-old boy in Bronzeville have been sentenced to 50 years each in prison, prosecutors said.
Jamal Streeter, 21, and Aramis Beachem, 24, were convicted in January of murdering Darius Brown, the unintended target of warring Gangster Disciple gang factions.
Darius, a promising young basketball player, was on the court in Metcalfe Park "doing what he loved" when he was shot dead, prosecutors said.
The teen, known for his speed and his shot, was playing in a game in August 2011 when three gang members, bent on revenge, opened fire.
"It was a perfect day for basketball. That's what a group of several young kids were doing in the park ... shooting hoops," Assistant State's Attorney Bill Bruce during trial in January. "Darius Brown had no idea he was playing his last game."
When the gunfire erupted from State Street, the people in the park ran for cover. But vulnerable in the middle of the open court, the basketball players were "like fish in a barrel," Bruce said.
One of the bullets hit Darius in the neck, prosecutors said. He tried to run, but made little ground, collapsing as the blood soaked through his shirt.
Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan sentenced Streeter to 50 years behind bars Monday. Beachem was previously sentenced by Gaughan to the same prison term.
A third defendant, 20-year-old Vito Richmond, is still awaiting trial in the murder.
