Man charged with murder in October shooting in Aurora
A man once convicted of attempted murder has now been charged with killing a man in October in Aurora.
Pretrial release was denied on Friday for Derrick D. Jordan, 47, of the 900 block of Fifth Street in Aurora. He is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon.
Jordan is accused of killing 47-year-old Martin Pegues on Oct. 5 outside Pegues' home in the 100 block of Calhoun Street.
According to a police synopsis presented to Judge William Engerman at the detention hearing, the shooting happened shortly before noon. A witness said they saw Jordan arguing with an occupant of a silver-colored Cadillac at 38 N. Calhoun. Police alleged Jordan is known to "frequent" that address, according to the synopsis. Several minutes later, the Cadillac, which belonged to Pegues, was in Pegues' driveway with its engine still running.
Another witness allegedly heard gunshots and saw a man running from the area. His description of the man was similar to one given by a witness to the argument and to another provided by a delivery driver who said he heard the gunshots and saw a man walking on Calhoun with a gun, according to the synopsis.
No reason was given for the shooting.
The judge said he found Jordan to be a danger to the community.
"This was a middle-of-the-day violent offense in an open area when anyone else could be present," Engerman said. "The use of a firearm, and the shots, could have endangered anyone else who happened to be present in the area."
Jordan also faces a charge of aggravated fleeing and eluding because when police tried to arrest him Tuesday, he drove off at speeds of more than 90 mph, according to Kane County Assistant State's Attorney Tyler Cox. Cox said Jordan sped through a school zone and drove on a sidewalk.
Assistant Kane County public defender Michelle Tilmon said Jordan could not have known about the arrest warrant in the murder case at the time because it was sealed until Friday. He may have thought he was being picked up on a failure-to-appear-in-court warrant on another case, she said.
She also said a gun was found on the victim - with a spent shell casing nearby - so Jordan may have acted in self-defense.
Jordan and two of his brothers were charged in 2004 with attempted first-degree murder. They were accused of getting into a dispute with rival gang members and shooting at them, then shooting at a family who had been sitting in a front yard and saw the dispute. He was convicted and sentenced to 17½ years in prison.
In 2022, Jordan was charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon in a joint investigation by Aurora police, the Lake County sheriff's office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. That case is pending.
If convicted of first-degree murder, Jordan could be sentenced to 20 to 60 years in prison, plus an extra 25 years because it involved a gun, according to Cox.