Teen charged in Palatine slaying appears in juvenile court

A 15-year-old boy charged in a deadly Palatine shooting in March appeared in court Tuesday facing a first-degree murder charge.

Because the boy is charged as a juvenile, the Daily Herald is not identifying him by name.

The teen was charged last month in connection with the killing of 20-year-old Kevin K. Koonce of Streamwood. Authorities say police officers found Koonce suffering from a gunshot wound at about 9:39 p.m. March 16, in a vehicle on the 1200 block of East Prairie Brook Drive of Palatine.

Koonce was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police arrested the teen April 30. He remains in juvenile detention.

Koonce’s mother and two daughters attended Tuesday’ hearing before Cook County Juvenile Court Judge Steven J. Bernstein at the county courthouse in Rolling Meadows.

During the hearing, county prosecutor said they had received “a minimal amount of discovery,” but that they expect to complete discovery by the next pretrial hearing on June 30.

The teen’s mother also attended the brief hearing along with his four siblings, an uncle and two cousins.