Activists offer $5K reward in killings of 2 attorneys
Couple were found slain inside their Oak Park home
Just downthe block from where a prominent Oak Park couple were found killed inside their home earlier this year, a pair of Chicago activists announced they’re offering a reward for information about the case.
Raul Montes Jr. and Frank Coconate said during a Friday news conference they are offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who has information that can lead to the identity and conviction of the killer or killers of Tom Johnson and Leslie Jones.
“They were heinous murders,” Montes Jr. said. “They’re cold cases. This area is in a panic. They’re confused and they want closure. We need our public officials to step up.”
Johnson and Jones were killed in a grisly double homicide this spring, and no arrests have been made. Authorities could not immediately be reached for information about the status of the case.
Family members concerned after not hearing fromJohnson and Jones for several days asked the couple’s godson to check on them April 13 at their home in the 500 block of Fair Oaks Avenue.
According to police, the godsonfound the front door of the home closed but unlocked, and he went inside around 7:30 p.m.
Just inside the door, the godson found Jones’ body lying on the stairs, while her husband was found in an upstairs bedroom lying on a bed, a police report said. The Cook County medical examiner found the couple were each stabbed several times, ruling both deaths homicides as a result of “multiple sharp force injuries.”
“These areheinous, coldblooded murders,” Montes Jr. said. “Somebody has to have seen something. Peoplewant answers.”
Montes Jr. specifically called on Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to get involved and asked local police to work with the FBI and ATF in investigating the matter. He also encouraged anyone with information about the case to contact the Oak Park Police Department.
Johnson and Jones were both graduates of Harvard Law School and were partners in the downtown law firm of Johnson, Jones, Snelling, Gilbert andDavis.
Johnsonwas particularly well-known for his work as a hearing officer for the Chicago Police Board. Last year, he oversaw the hearings for four officers accused of covering up the investigation into the 2014 Laquan McDonald shooting. He also presided over the hearing of an officer who shot and killed 55year-old Bettie Jones and 19- year- old Quintonio LeGrier during a confrontation with LeGrier in 2016.
Coconate speculated about whether Johnson’s work with police discipline led to his murder.
“The husband had a high-profile position,” Coconate said. “This man was a high-power man. … We need attention to this dou
ble murder here.”
Jones, who had degrees from Yale University, the University of Chicago and Northwestern University, specialized in health care, civil rights and real estate law. Shewas also knownfor her charitable efforts, particularly with the Oak Park Area Arts Council andHephzibah Children’s Association.
The activists said on Friday they’re hoping the offer of a reward will drawattention to the case and help bring about its closure. Montes Jr. ran for alderman of the 22nd Ward in Chicago in 2015 and ran as a Democrat for state senate in 2012 in the 12th District. Coconate has advocated against the removal of statues of Christopher Columbus. Montes Jr. and Coconate also held a news conference outside Rod Blagojevich’shomelast year asking President Donald Trump to pardon the former governor.
Anyone with information about the deaths of Johnson and Jones is asked to contact the Oak Park Police Department at 708386-3800. Crime tips may also be provided anonymously at 708-434-1636 or online atwww.oak-park.us/ crimetip.