Rapper ‘Lil Shawn’ on trial: Fiancee of murder victim says she could not ID killer

A woman who had been standing beside her three children when their father was gunned down testified Friday that a detective told her to pick Chicago rapper Shawn “Lil Shawn” Randall out of a photo lineup.

Randall, 22, was charged with the murder of 22-yearold Vallan Francis after being identified by Francis’ finaceé, Keisha Leflore, as the man who shot Francis in front of the couple’s West Rogers Park home.

Leflore now lives out of state and returned to testify only after a court order, Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Holly Kremin noted. Friday, Leflore recanted her 2015 grand jury testimony, saying she told detectives at the time she couldn’t identify the shooter.

“I was actually showed a photo line-up and one of the officers pointed him out,” said Leflore, who spoke softly, slumped in her seat, and wore a winter coat during nearly two hours of testimony.

“I told them my kids’ father may have said (Randall’s) name. I felt like from that, they just took advantage of me.”

Leflore, who wiped tears from her eyes as she exited the courtroom, was prosecutors’ only eyewitness to the July 17, 2015 shooting.

Randall and Francis were in different gang factions. When Randall biked past the couple as they were on their front porch in the 2800 block of West Arthur, Francis became concerned. The couple was moving their children, then ages 3, 4 and 7, into the house when a gunman — his face mostly concealed by the cinched-up hood of a sweatshirt — opened fire.

Leflore, on Friday, testified she knew Randall — one of her 5,000 Facebook friends — and had seen him around the neighborhood.

Chicago police Det. Adam Katz testified he showed Leflore six suspects’ photographs, and Leflore immediately picked out Randall. Leflore was not told which photo was Randall, Katz said.

The trial is set to resume Monday.