COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A murder suspect drank bleach inside a janitor's closet Tuesday after he tried — and failed — to escape from a Chicago Police station, authorities said.
Kenyatta Alexander, 21, had to be dragged out of the closet by his feet after he allegedly punched two detectives at a facility at Belmont and Western, prosecutors and police sources have said.
Alexander is charged in the April 4 murder of 17-year-old Anthony Heatherly, who was shot in his stomach during a drug deal outside the Taco Burrito King at 5509 N. Harlem Ave.
Alexander — who is currently on probation for theft — appeared in bond court Friday, two days after his alleged accomplice Tramian Barnes, 21, came before a judge. Both men were denied bail.
RELATED: Anthony Heatherly Killed By Man Free On Bond In Earlier Murder: Prosecutors
As deputies escorted Alexander into the courtroom Friday afternoon, a woman in the audience stood up, pushed through a glass door and partially entered an area of the courtroom reserved for staff, attorneys and media. "Here!" she shouted. "Baby, I'm here!"
A deputy turned toward the woman and asked, "Have you lost your mind?", before escorting the woman out of the courthouse.
Prosecutors allege Anthony, a former Taft High School student, was planning to sell marijuana to Alexander and Barnes outside the Taco Burrito King about 1 p.m. April 4.
Anthony arrived in a black four-door Hyundai, while Barnes and Alexander pulled up in a white four-door Nissan driven by Barnes' 22-year-old girlfriend, Assistant State's Attorney Liam Reardon said during a bond hearing Friday.
Alexander and Barnes got out of their car, climbed into Anthony's vehicle and told the girlfriend to "pull up," prosecutors said. That's when Alexander allegedly shot Anthony once in the chest.
At that point, Alexander and Barnes shoved Anthony's body out of the Hyundai, Reardon said. Barnes got behind the wheel and drove off — running over Anthony and dragging him several feet, according to prosecutors.
Barnes' girlfriend followed Barnes out of the parking lot in the white Nissan, Reardon said, and the entire incident was captured on surveillance footage.
Paramedics were called to the scene, and Anthony was later pronounced dead at Lutheran General Hospital. A bag of marijuana was found next to the teen when police and paramedics arrived, according to a source close to the investigation.
Anthony Heatherly died April 4. [DNAinfo/Evan F. Moore; Facebook]
Barnes, meanwhile, led his girlfriend to a waiting third vehicle, and told the woman to go home and wait for his call, prosecutors said. She was later instructed to pick up Barnes and Alexander in an alley in suburban Maywood, where the men left the Hyundai.
According to Reardon, Barnes told multiple people that Alexander shot Anthony.
When Barnes and Alexander were arrested this week, Alexander tried to make a run for it by punching two detectives on Tuesday, prosecutors said. When the escape didn't pan out, Alexander locked himself in a janitorial closet, according to police sources. He was later hospitalized for consuming bleach.
Alexander is charged with first-degree murder, attempted escape, aggravated battery to a peace officer, armed robbery and carjacking.
According to his attorney, Alexander has worked as a janitor for the past five years. He is engaged with two children: a 2-year-old and a 3-month-old, the attorney said.
Police do not believe Anthony was involved in a gang, sources say.
Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41st) said residents of Edison Park and Norwood Park would sleep better knowing arrests had been made in the case.
“Everyone knew they were going to get them,” Napolitano said. “It was inevitable.”
Napolitano said he was “ecstatic” for Anthony’s family.
“Chalk one up for the good guys,” Napolitano said.
Marilyn Falkenberg, a teacher at Taft, remembered Anthony as a "nice kid." He played on the Norwood Park school's football and basketball teams, friends said, before transferring to an alternative high school.
The teen's family has declined to speak to reporters.
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