CTA janitor Julian Mobley, 41, was killed while working at the Damen Green Line station on Oct. 8, stabbed by a man who prosecutors say was already supposed to be under court supervision. Now an Illinois state representative is using Mobley's death to push for sweeping changes to how the state handles pretrial detention and electronic monitoring.
Chevazz Campbell, 37, faces first-degree murder, armed robbery and weapons charges in connection with Mobley's killing, according to ABC7 Chicago. Prosecutors allege Campbell sprayed Mobley with mace, chased him down and stabbed him in the neck. Court records cited by the station show Campbell was on electronic monitoring as a condition of probation in two separate felony cases at the time of the attack, and prosecutors said they had already filed at least four petitions to violate his probation because of repeated curfew violations before the killing happened.
Accounts differ on the specifics of the attack itself. CBS News Chicago reported that Campbell stabbed Mobley once in the neck, while WGN Investigates reported that prosecutors accused him of stabbing Mobley repeatedly after macing him and chasing him out of the station. A judge ordered Campbell detained pending his next court appearance, which ABC7 reported was set for Oct. 14.
Sheehan Renews Push for Tougher Detention Rules
State Rep. Patrick Sheehan, a Mokena Republican and 20-year law enforcement veteran, is using the case to renew his calls for changes to Illinois' pretrial detention and electronic-monitoring laws. As reported by WJOL, Sheehan is continuing his push following Mobley's death. Per the same outlet's reporting, his proposals include expanding the offenses eligible for pretrial detention, changing the movement rules for people on electronic monitoring, requiring immediate notification of violations and revoking release once there's probable cause of a new felony.
That last idea is the subject of House Bill 5757, which would require pretrial release to be revoked after a finding of probable cause that a person committed a felony alleged to have occurred during that release, following a hearing or a verified state's attorney petition, according to the Illinois General Assembly's bill status records. Sheehan has also called for expanding pretrial detention and changing electronic-monitoring rules.
A Monitoring System Straining Under Its Own Size
The debate over Mobley's death is unfolding against a backdrop of a Cook County electronic-monitoring population that has exploded in size. The county's monitoring population grew from fewer than 500 defendants in 2010 to roughly 3,000 today, according to a Cook County State's Attorney's op-ed published in the Chicago Tribune. That same piece described the county as having more people on electronic monitoring than any other jurisdiction in the country, including Los Angeles and New York City, and reported that more than 327 of those roughly 3,000 defendants were listed as missing, with no one aware of their whereabouts.
State's Attorney Eileen Burke has also pointed to the scale of the problem, saying of the roughly 3,000 people on electronic monitoring that 10% to 12% are absent from supervision and cannot be located, ABC7 reported. The Chicago Tribune op-ed reported that, as of Aug. 7, 79 people charged with murder or attempted murder were on electronic monitoring. Under Cook County's own guidance, when a monitoring participant is determined to be AWOL, a judge decides the next steps, which may include a continuance, added conditions or a warrant, according to the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Transit Safety Numbers Complicate the Picture
Even as Mobley's killing fuels calls for tougher detention rules, city officials have pointed to broader improvement in transit safety. The mayor's office said year-to-date homicides on the CTA are down 71%, according to WGN Investigates. That statistic sits uneasily alongside a killing that, as FOX 32 Chicago reported, has become the latest flashpoint in Sheehan's ongoing campaign to tighten the rules governing who gets released, and under what conditions, while a case moves through court.
