A Chicago Man Found Guilty in the 2018 Slaying of a Northwestern University Doctoral Student

Murder Verdict Brings Closure to the Colombo Family

A Chicago man was found guilty of first-degree murder Thursday in the 2018 slaying of a Northwestern University doctoral student who had moved to the area only hours earlier.

Tragic Story of Shane Colombo

Diante Speed, then 19, fired a volley of gunshots at a man who he claimed had brandished a gun at him as he and two friends were walking in the 7500 block of North Clark Street in Rogers Park the night of September 2, 2018. One of the bullets hit Shane Colombo as the 25-year-old California native was walking home with two bags of odds and ends for his new home. Colombo, who had recently bought an apartment just over the city line in Evanston with his fiancé, was set to start a Ph.D. program.

Family’s Plea for Justice

Colombo’s mother, father, and fiancé were seated in the courtroom gallery on the bench nearest to the jury box for each day of the three-day trial. Jurors deliberated for four hours Thursday before delivering their verdict. Colombo’s mother gasped as the courtroom clerk read the guilty verdict. Speed lowered his head and pursed his lips.

Community’s Reaction

In the courthouse lobby after the verdict, Colombo’s fiancé, Vincent Colores-Chalmers, said he planned to return to the intersection of Clark and Howard streets on Friday.

“(The verdict) made me realize how much I miss Shane,” Colores-Chalmers said, fingering a chain around his neck that held Colombo’s engagement ring. “I feel like I lost a lot of time waiting. Today I feel like everything sped up.”

The Investigation

Colombo’s tragic story – a young Ph.D. student who wound up dead just a few hours after moving to Evanston from California – captured media attention in the fall of 2018. As the investigation stalled, Colombo’s family and community groups raised $12,000 in reward money for tips, with police circulating still photos of the suspects taken from blurry surveillance camera footage.

A Break in the Case

A break in the case came nearly a year later, when the gun that fired the bullet that killed Colombo turned up when a man was arrested in South Holland. The man caught with the gun said he had bought the gun from a friend of Speed.

The Trial

Cameras mounted on nearby buildings and inside an ATM captured Speed and his friend, Charles Moore, chasing a third man in a white tank top, as well as Colombo falling to the pavement as he carried two shopping bags on his way home. Speed, Moore, and a third friend, Juwan Garrett, said they were walking along Clark Street when a car pulled up, and a man in a white tank top, whom they did not know, brandished a weapon.

Surveillance cameras captured multiple angles on the ensuing foot chase, as Speed drew his gun and he and Moore took off after the man – but while one recording included the sound of two volleys of gunshots, none showed Speed actually firing the weapon.

The Verdict

Jurors deliberated for four hours Thursday before delivering their verdict. Speed’s defense attorney, Assistant Public Defender Sarah Fransene, cited other portions of conversation with Speed’s mother that backed up Speed’s story that he opened fire only after the man in the tank top had shot at him.

The Aftermath

Colombo’s family and community groups welcome the guilty verdict, saying it brings a sense of closure and justice to the case. However, they also stressed the need for community-building initiatives that promote unity and address the root causes of violence.

Conclusion

The trial of Diante Speed serves as a reminder of the devastating impact of senseless violence on individuals, families, and communities. As we move forward, it is essential to work towards creating an environment where our children and young adults can grow, thrive, and live without fear for their safety.

FAQs

* What was the verdict in the 2018 murder of Shane Colombo?
– Diante Speed was found guilty of first-degree murder.
* How old was Shane Colombo at the time of his death?
– 25 years old
* What was Shane Colombo’s relationship to his fiancé?
– They were engaged to be married and had planned to start a Ph.D. program together.