A Kane County judge set bail at $4 million Saturday for a man charged with murder in the April shooting death of Devonte Turner in Elgin.
William M. Ingram, 28, of the 0-100 block of Poplar Creek Drive in Elgin, appeared before 16th Circuit Associate Judge Christine Downs Saturday morning facing three counts of first-degree murder. The judge agreed with the prosecution’s request for a $4 million bail based on Ingram’s criminal history and the nature of the charges he now faces.
Ingram was arrested Thursday at a Palatine hotel. To be released, Ingram must post 10 percent of the $4 million amount. He is also being held on a $250,000 bail on a previous drug charge.
The victim’s mother, Dorothy Turner Gross, showed little emotion after the judge’s order.
Gross said she learned an arrest was pending Wednesday after months of seeing no movement on her son’s case. She contacted Elgin police when she heard that word on the street was someone was going to be arrested.
Gross has not learned what evidence police have, nor did Kane County prosecutors reveal any details about the criminal case against Ingram during bond call. But she said she believes police have the right man.
“I know the streets. If they say your name more than three times that you did it, now ya’ll know who did it,” she said.
Turner, 20, was found in the area of Fleetwood Drive and McLean Boulevard on April 30 with gunshot wounds and was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. He was described by his family as a respectful, caring and polite young man who did not have gang ties. Turner, a twin, would have turned 21 on Oct. 7. According to Kane County clerk of court records, Turner was charged with reckless conduct in June 2013 and charged with possession of a firearm without a firearm owner’s identification card. The case was pleaded down to a B misdemeanor of reckless conduct, with records noting he had no other past criminal history.
Elgin investigators had sought tips from the public and had continued investigating Turner’s death, which led them to Ingram, according to police.
Ingram has a long criminal history outlined in court Saturday. He was convicted in 2007 of manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substance and sentenced to five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. In 2010, he was charged with a class X felony for delivery of a controlled substance, according to court records. A year later, he was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance, a class 4 felony, according to court records. He has a pending case, on a charge of delivery of a controlled substance, a class X felony, records show.
Kane County prosecutors asked bond be set at $4 million based on Ingram’s criminal history, the nature of the allegations and his failure to appear in court on past charges. The judge agreed to the request. Ingram has a 9 a.m. court date Tuesday.
If convicted, Ingram faces the possibility of 20 years to life in prison, the judge said.
Ingram appeared in court wearing a gray Spider-Man T-shirt with his hands bound in handcuffs, and he was barely audible during the proceeding. Downs asked him how long he has lived at the Poplar Creek address. He shrugged and said “awhile.” The judge repeated his answers to her questions, and Ingram said he lives with his mom and does not have a job. He was released from prison in February, he said.
Gross wore a black T-shirt with a photo of her son commemorating the day he was born and the day he died, with the words “Rest in Peace.” The shirt featured a photo of her son with angel wings surrounding it.
She said Ingram knows her family and even dated her daughter for a short time. He called one of Turner’s family members the day before his arrest to tell him about a dream he had, she said. He was a Facebook friend and previously wrote her messages expressing his sympathy over her son’s death, she said.
“I thought this would give me comfort, but it is bringing me more pain,” Gross said.
She was upset about the messages she has been receiving on social media. Following the shooting, everyone wanted justice for Devonte; since Ingram’s arrest, people have been supporting him, she said..
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t have anything to do with anybody but my family and his family. Truth be told, both families are taking a loss. I took the biggest loss of all,” she said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
