Jury to get Radio Shack robbery case Friday morning
A DuPage County jury Friday morning will begin deciding the fate of a Woodridge man charged with being the gunman in a December 2013 armed robbery of a Downers Grove Radio Shack.
Prosecutors and Brandon Jones' defense attorney rested their respective cases Thursday afternoon. Jones is accused of armed robbery, armed violence and aggravated kidnapping.
Prosecutors say Jones, 21, and Carlos Brown, 22, entered the store at 7319 Lemont Road in Downers Grove about 10:30 a.m. Dec. 11, 2013, while BL Jones stayed in a nearby vehicle.
Clerk Michael Goetschel testified that within seconds of entering the store, Brandon Jones and Brown led him to the rear storage area of the store and Jones pointed a gun at his face while ordering him on his knees in the bathroom.
Brown repeatedly urged Jones to "pop" him, Assistant State's Attorney Enza LaMonica told jurors in Thursday's closing arguments.
"That's the phrase Michael Goetschel heard ringing in his ears as he looked at the chamber of a .38 handgun," LaMonica said.
As Goetschel huddled on the bathroom floor "like a dog," Jones and Brown cleared out a cage of $9,000 worth of smartphones, LaMonica said.
Before fleeing with a garbage can full of phones, Jones sprayed Goetschel and unassuming customer Linda McDougle with pepper spray, prosecutors said.
Another woman, Renee Cantalupo, testified she was heading into a neighboring store when she heard McDougle's frantic calls for help.
She took down a detailed description of the men, their clothes and their vehicle. She followed the men at a safe distance, authorities said, until police arrived to continue the pursuit near 75th Street and I-355.
Downers Grove Detective James Minett testified he recognized the car and pulled the green Nissan Altima over on westbound I-88 near the I-355 merge. As officers approached the vehicle with guns drawn, the men fled west on I-88.
He said the men threw the gun and several pieces of clothing from the vehicle during the pursuit. All those items were recovered.
Minett said he and other officers pursued the vehicle to Naperville's Monarch Landing senior community at 2255 Monarch Drive, where a gated entrance trapped the men. Brandon Jones and Brown ran into the gated community before being arrested. BL Jones stayed in the vehicle and was taken into custody.
Jones' attorney, Richard Mottweiler, contended prosecutors failed to put him at the scene of the crime, despite positive identification of Jones by several witnesses and Jones' confession.
"Maybe Brandon didn't say those things. Oral statements are the most unreliable things in the world. Those statements are unreliable," Mottweiler said. "And if he was the getaway driver, did he know (BL Jones and Brown) were going to commit a robbery?"
Assistant State's Attorney Michael Fisher called Mottweiler's argument ridiculous.
"To believe (Brandon Jones) didn't commit this crime, you have to believe there is some grand conspiracy against him," Fisher said. "That's ridiculous. It would be insane to believe he had nothing to do with this crime."
Brown pleaded guilty to armed robbery in August 2014 and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. BL Jones also pleaded guilty to armed robbery in March 2015 and was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Brandon Jones has been held on $1 million bail since his arrest.