Witness to fatal shooting faces prostitution-related charge

A witness to last month's shooting at a Schaumburg hotel appeared in a Rolling Meadows courtroom Friday on another, less violent matter.

Vicky West, of Pearl River, La., was arrested following the March 16 shooting on a 2009 bond forfeiture warrant stemming from a prostitution arrest last year in Schaumburg.

Police say West, 27, was present during the shooting, which they claim resulted from an attempted robbery gone wrong. Rockford resident Mario C. Charles, 29, was killed in an exchange of gunfire during the altercation.

A 26-year-old St. Paul, Minn. man suffered a gunshot wound to the chest but survived.

Police charged Kristian Branch, of the 300 block of West Chicago St. in Elgin, with first-degree murder, attempted murder and attempted armed robbery. She remains in Cook County Jail on a $3 million bail.

Cook County Circuit Court Judge Edward Pietrucha set a May 13 trial date for West, after posting $300 bail. Last month, Cook County prosecutors dismissed a 2009 solicitation charge against her.

Defense attorney Daniel R. Collins advised his client to keep quiet.

"Don't talk to anyone," he instructed her upon entering the courtroom. "I do the talking."

Collins declined to comment on the case.