A 25-year-old Bellwood man has been found guilty of fatally shooting a man in the head in a Naperville parking lot in 2021, apparently over a gun deal gone bad.
DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin announced today that a jury has found Robert Chatman-Jonesa guilty on one count of First Degree Murder after deliberating for approximately one hour following a three-day-long trial. Judge Ann Celine O’Hallaren Walsh presided over the trial.
According to prosecutors, on August 29, 2021, at approximately 2:11pm, Naperville police officers responded to a call of shots fired in a parking lot located on Amersale Drive. Upon their arrival, officers located two .40 caliber shell casings and more than $100 cash in the parking lot. While at the scene, the officers were notified that the Aurora Police Department had located a vehicle with two gunshot victims inside the vehicle at McCoy Drive and Vaughn Road. One victim had been shot in the left leg and the other victim, later identified as Coreon Davis, had been shot in the head and his left hand.
Both individuals were transported to a local hospital for medical attention. Davis was later transported to Loyola Hospital where he subsequently died.
An investigation into the shooting determined that Davis and another individual went to the parking lot on Amersale to sell a gun to Chatman-Jones. Upon their arrival at the parking lot, Chatman-Jones exited a vehicle and approached the victim’s vehicle. After Chatman-Jones gave Davis money for the gun, Davis, who remained in the vehicle, told Chatman-Jones that he was “short” on the amount of money the two had agreed upon to complete the transaction. A struggle ensued between Davis and Chatman-Jones during which Chatman-Jones opened fire, striking the two occupants of the vehicle. After the shooting, Chatman-Jones fled the scene. He was taken into custody without incident the following day from an Aurora apartment complex parking lot.
“What began as an illegal gun sale quickly turned violent resulting in a senseless loss of life,” Berlin said. “The murder of Coreon Davis serves as a stark reminder that guns in the hands of those willing to use violence can result in deadly, irreversible consequences. I commend the Naperville Police Department for their outstanding police work that resulted in Mr. Chatman-Jones’ apprehension just one day after the murder. While no number of years can bring Mr. Davis back to those who loved him, it is my hope that yesterday’s guilty verdict will offer some measure of solace to those he left behind.”
Chatman-Jones’ next court appearance is scheduled for October 26, 2026, for filing of post-trial motions. He faces a penalty of between forty-five years to life in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
