Joliet Murder Case: Judge Sarah Jones Replaced
JOLIET, IL — Will County Circuit Judge Sarah Jones will not be presiding over the first-degree murder case of 18-year-old Ohio Street resident Emilio Aldape, court documents show. Private criminal defense attorney Gregory Reeder filed a motion with Will County, which was granted, asking that his client’s case not be handled by Jones.
Aldape, the motion noted, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the death of 20-year-old Latrel Smith-Vaden, and has pleaded not guilty. His case was originally assigned to Judge Sarah Jones on July 27 for all further proceedings.
Joliet Patch previously reported that the June 6 mid-morning deadly shooting of Smith-Vaden in the 600 block of East Benton Street resulted in Aldape’s capture in the state of Indiana, according to Joliet police.
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Aldape has been in the Will County Jail since his extradition from South Bend on July 12 and his bail remains $5 million.
According to Reeder’s motion, “the defendant believes that Judge Sarah Jones is so prejudiced that he cannot receive a fair trial.”
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The defense lawyer’s motion was granted, and the murder case has been taken away from Judge Jones and reassigned to Courtroom 502 of Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak.
In 2020, Joliet Patch reported that Will County Circuit Judge Sarah Jones scored a lousy rating for her temperament, according to the judicial ratings. Of the nine Will County Circuit Court judges up for retention in the Nov. 3, 2020 election, seven scored an 83 percent rating or higher for their temperament on the bench. Judge Jones scored the worst rating of 56.8 percent.
In 2014, Judge Jones was not recommended for retention by the judicial advisory poll done by the Illinois State Bar Association, yet the voters of Will County chose to retain Jones on the bench for another six years.
Related Joliet Patch coverage:
9 Will County Judges On Ballot: Patch Analyzes Rankings
Joliet’s Murder On Benton Street Solved In South Bend: Police
Murder Defendant Retains Bretz Law, Gets Rid Of Judge
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