Chicago man with pending gun case murdered a 20-year-old, prosecutors say

3 weeks ago 26

CHICAGO — An 18-year-old Chicago man with a significant criminal history had a pending gun case when he shot and killed another man earlier this year, prosecutors say.

Phillip Sherman, 18, is charged with the shooting death of Jeremiah Williams-Frett, 20, in the 8000 block of South Cottage Grove on January 31. Shortly after the shooting, Chicago police said someone shot Williams-Frett in the chest around 1:35 p.m. He died about an hour later.

Sherman was already in custody when a grand jury returned a true bill charging him with six counts of murder in the Williams-Frett case earlier this month.

On March 12, Chicago cops patrolling the Red Line said they saw Sherman acting nervously upon seeing them in his train car. When he stood up to exit at the Jackson stop, the officers saw a heavy, L-shaped object weighing down his hoodie pocket, according to their report.

Sherman bolted off the train, but the cops caught him after he tripped on the Jackson L platform, the report said. A loaded firearm found inside his hoodie had been reported stolen from Indiana, the officers’ report said.

Based on his background, the prosecution asked Judge Ankur Srivastava to detain Sherman during a court hearing the following day. In a detention petition, they said he had recently been convicted in juvenile court of burglary and possessing a stolen motor vehicle. He also had a pending gun case that is now in the sentencing stages, they said. Srivastava granted the petition. That gun case was also pending at the time of Williams-Frett’s murder.

The murder charge is the fifth felony case Sherman has picked up since November 2022.

He is the ninth person accused of shooting, killing, or trying to shoot or kill someone in Chicago this year while having a pending felony case.

The “not horrible” series

This report continues our coverage of individuals accused of killing, shooting, or trying to kill or shoot others on pretrial release for a felony allegation. CWBChicago began our series of reports in November 2019 after Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans publicly stated, “We haven’t had any horrible incidents occur” under the court’s bond reform initiative.

The actual number of murders and shootings committed by people awaiting trial for felony allegations is undoubtedly much higher than the numbers seen here. Since 2017, CPD has brought charges in less than 5% of non-fatal shootings and 33% of murders, according to the city’s data.