COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A high school senior tried to burn down an 89-year-old woman's apartment after he murdered her during a botched robbery, prosecutors said.
Trae Chatmon, 18, is accused of breaking into Josephine Johnson's apartment in the 5100 block of South Michigan Avenue shortly before 3 a.m. on Oct. 26, Assistant State's Attorney Kim Przekota said during a bond hearing Thursday.
When Johnson, 89, woke up and caught Chatmon burglarizing the place, Chatmon beat the woman repeatedly about her face and body — striking and stabbing her multiple times, prosecutors said.
Chatmon ransacked Johnson's apartment and set it on fire before leaving with items he had stolen, according to police.
Neighbors who smelled smoke used a spare key to get into Johnson's apartment and found her body, according to Przekota. A witness saw a black man standing outside, prosecutors said, and later "tentatively" identified the man as Chatmon.
Chatmon was arrested about 30 minutes later when police caught him burglarizing a different apartment in the 300 block of East 53rd Street, according to prosecutors. He was still in the apartment and had been captured on surveillance video.
Przekota said Chatmon was carrying some of Johnson's jewelry at the time of the arrest. He also had blood on his clothing; tests are pending.
Inside Johnson's apartment, police found knives and concrete, Przekota said. Johnson's jewelry was strewn across her bed.
The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office said Johnson died of blunt- and sharp-force injuries and assault. She also suffered burns from the fire.
Chatmon allegedly admitted to police that he broke into the woman's home and stabbed her after she caught him, Przekota said. Chatmon said he was scared and lit the apartment on fire to cover up his crime, she added.
Chatmon, of the 4900 block of South St. Lawrence Avenue, is charged with first-degree murder.
His public defender said he is a senior at Magic Johnson High School and works at a car wash. The teen cares for his mother, who has breast cancer, and is the family's sole provider.
According to prosecutors, Chatmon has a prior juvenile history that includes convictions for theft, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and attempted aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
Cook County Judge Laura Sullivan on Thursday ordered Chatmon held in lieu of $1 million.
He's been held in Cook County Jail since Oct. 27, when his bail for the 53rd Street burglary was set at $75,000 by Judge James Brown, court records show.
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