Teen gets jail, probation for role in Schaumburg hammer attack

In exchange for pleading guilty Thursday to obstruction of justice, a Schaumburg teen was sentenced to four months in Cook County Jail and 24 months probation.

Latifah Johnson, 19, admitted to cleaning up the blood of a neighbor, 58-year-old Rajesh Thakkar, who police say was attacked March 29 by Johnson's 15-year-old sister in the lobby of their apartment building in the 100 block of Pickwick Drive. Authorities say Johnson did not participate in the hammer attack on Thakkar, who suffered brain injuries and the loss of one eye and spent several weeks in a coma as a result of the attack.

Johnson's sister faces charges of attempted murder, armed robbery and aggravated battery in juvenile court. However prosecutors are considering charging her as an adult.

Johnson, who has no criminal background, must also perform 120 hours of community service and submit to random drug tests as part of her probation. She could have been sentenced up to three years in prison on the class 4 felony.

The 15-year-old told Johnson she intended to rob their upstairs neighbor, but Johnson didn't believe her, said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Shilpa Patel during Thursday's sentencing before Cook County Circuit Court Judge John Scotillo.

The accused returned to the apartment later, told Johnson she had hit the man and asked for Johnson's help, Patel said. As Johnson cleaned up, she noticed the bloodied victim outside the building. When he tried to open the locked door, Johnson fled back to the apartment, where police later found her, Patel said.

Scotillo noted that the plea agreement reflected the defendant's willingness to admit her complicity in the cleanup of the incident. The judge also noted for the record that since her incarceration, Johnson obtained her G.E.D. and successfully completed several classes offered by the sheriff's department.

Johnson, who received credit for the 136 days she has spent in custody, will likely be released soon.