Trial for the Murder of NU Student Shane Colombo Begins with Reluctant Witnesses
The Trial Begins
The trial for the murder of a Northwestern University doctoral student began on Monday, with three witnesses reluctant to shed any light on what led to the 2018 shooting in Rogers Park.
First Witnesses Take the Stand
One of the witnesses, Elwin Pollard, took the stand wearing tan jail clothes, as he was locked up for contempt of court after prosecutors claimed he ignored a subpoena to testify in the trial of Diante Speed, charged with the murder of Shane Colombo, 25. Pollard had told detectives in 2018 that he heard gunshots and saw two men running after another man. Stray gunfire from that attack killed Colombo as he walked home from a store near his newly purchased condo the night of September 2, according to prosecutors.
Elwin Pollard testified, "I was only concerned with the gunshots, I don’t know if they were chasing him, or he was the one with the gun."
Second Witness
The second witness called was Vicente Colores-Chalmers, Colombo’s fiancé, who had been on a video call with Colombo just two hours before the shooting. Colores-Chalmers was the first witness called by prosecutors, who was visibly shaken when speaking about Colombo’s death.
"I called the hospital and was told immediately that he had passed away," Colores-Chalmers said, his voice trembling.
Third Witnesses
The two other witnesses called, Juwan Garrett and Charles Moore, were even less cooperative with prosecutors. Garrett declined to point out Speed in the courtroom and had to be told by the judge to describe what Speed was wearing in court. Moore, a friend of Speed’s, sparred with Assistant State’s Attorney James Papa for about 90 minutes, stating that he couldn’t recall answers he gave to a grand jury in 2019.
Inconsistencies Emerge
Prosecutors point out that Moore had told detectives in 2018 that the man being chased didn’t have a gun, and that he had talked to detectives because he was troubled by Colombo’s death. However, when Speed’s lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Sarah Frensene, pointed out that Moore had told detectives that the man they were chasing had a gun, Moore conceded, "Is it your testimony today… that you saw the boy shooting in your direction? Yes."
The Trial Continues
The trial is expected to continue through Thursday, with more witnesses yet to testify.
Conclusion
As the trial progresses, it remains to be seen whether the prosecution will be able to prove their case against Diante Speed, charged with the murder of Shane Colombo. The reluctance of the initial witnesses to cooperate with prosecutors has set a challenging tone for the remainder of the trial.
FAQs
- Who is Shane Colombo? A 25-year-old Northwestern University doctoral student who was killed in a shooting in 2018.
- Who is Diante Speed? The man charged with Colombo’s murder.
- What is the trial about? The trial is about determining whether Speed is guilty of first-degree murder in connection with Colombo’s death.
- What happened on the night of the shooting? Colombo was shot and killed while walking home from a store. According to prosecutors, Speed opened fire on a man who had taunted him and his friends as they walked down North Clark Street near Howard.
