Chicago teen denies role in Villa Park murder as trial opens

Raymond Moore admits he was there when a Villa Park man was beaten to death.

But Moore argues he never touched the man and should not be held accountable for violence that he denies knowing would unfold.

A DuPage County jury listened to evidence Wednesday as the 19-year-old Chicago man's trial opened on charges of first-degree murder, home invasion, residential burglary and robbery. Violence erupted May 16, 2007 after four young Chicago men, including Moore, arrived at James R. Keniski's home on the 0-100 block of North Addison Road. Prosecutors said Keniski, 46, did not know the men, but he let them inside because they had a mutual friend who sold drugs to the Villa Park man.

The group planned to rob Keniski, prosecutors allege, but it quickly turned physical when another defendant, Semaj Walker, 23, pushed the victim over a banister, causing him to fall 10 feet. Walker also is accused of kicking Keniski, who languished in a coma and died several days later from his injuries.

"He was bloody and holding onto his stomach," his wife, Keena Keniski, testified. "I thought he was shot. He just kept saying, 'Why?'"

She identified Moore as the one who sat with her in a bedroom watching "American Idol" and chatting about her husband's art work as the rest of the group hung out with her husband in the kitchen. She said Moore's friendly demeanor changed once she inquired about the noise coming from the kitchen.

"I asked him what was going on and he said this was a robbery and (demanded) my credit cards and cash," Keena Keniski testified. "I tried to move, but he blocked me."

She called 911 after the group fled. Police arrested the first man, Joshua J. Gordon, 21, that night after spotting him walking nearby. He confessed, authorities said, and led detectives to the other three suspects.

Gordon, who is serving a 15-year prison sentence, pleaded guilty to felony home invasion in March. He testified Wednesday that Moore not only knew of the robbery plot, he helped plan the crime.

"Everyone agreed," said Gordon, who is eligible for parole after half his sentence.

Another defendant, Dywayne D. Head, 20, is serving a 20-year prison term. Walker's case still is pending. He is due in court Monday.

Moore was on the lam for six weeks before he surrendered to police. His attorney, Matthew McQuaid, questioned Keena Keniski's reliability since she admitted drinking up to 12 beers that night. She denied being under the influence of drugs during the crime.

McQuaid said Moore thought the group was going there for a drug deal, not to rob and kill.

"Raymond Moore did a stupid thing May 16, 2007," McQuaid said. "He involved himself with the wrong people at the wrong place at the wrong time, but the evidence will show he is not legally responsible for what he is charged."

Under Illinois law, a person is accountable for the conduct of another if they knowingly solicit, abet, or attempt to aid another in the planning or commission of an offense.

Prosecutor Bernard Murray said Moore played an active role in the crime, despite not having touched the victim. The prosecutor said Moore helped plan the robbery, let Walker drive his mother's van to Villa Park and prohibited the wife from helping her husband.

Murray noted the brutality of the crime. Keniski suffered up to 16 rib fractures, a torn liver and severe head trauma.

"This was a severe and vicious beating from which he never recovered," Murray said. "They're all accountable for each others' actions. It's as if Raymond Moore himself pushed him over the banister and kicked him and kicked him and kicked him."

The trial, in which DuPage Circuit Judge Peter J. Dockery is presiding, may end Thursday.