A Joliet man has pled guilty to participating in the drive-by shooting that killed two Boulder Hill women on Veteran’s Day, 2020.
Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis announced that Jaquarance Handley of Joliet was sentenced to 35 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections earlier this month on the charge of First-Degree Murder. Handley entered his plea to First-Degree Murder and agreed to the 35-year prison sentence. The case was set for trial this month.
Handley’s accomplice, James Brown Jr, had been sentenced to life in prison earlier this year after a jury convicted him of personally discharging an AR-15 into the residence of Cassandra and Changina Chatman, who were killed in their home back on Veteran’s Day of 2020. Handley was also awaiting trial as the individual who had driven Brown to the location of the murders. Video evidence showed Handley picking Brown up from his residence in North Aurora, driving to the Boulder Hill community, Brown committing the heinous acts, and Handley driving back to North Aurora. Handley and Brown were apprehended within hours of the shooting by the rapid response of the Kendall County Major Crimes task force and the Aurora Police Department.
Weis stated, “After convicting Brown of the murders, we turned our attention to holding Handley accountable for this senseless act of violence. My hope is to send a message to those that wish to commit acts of violence – if you do it in Kendall County – you will face justice and long prison sentences will be your reward. My office will not tolerate this in our neighborhoods.”
Handley is required to serve one hundred percent of his thirty-five year sentence, and then will serve three years on mandatory supervised release, formerly known as parole.
