Suspect in Loyola pupil's killing faces new federal gun expenses filed

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Federal prosecutors piled new expenses Thursday on an unlawful immigrant accused of killing a Loyola College Chicago pupil as a result of the feds "don't have any religion" within the state's justice system, in line with a neighborhood prison protection lawyer.

"Blue cities traditionally are lighter of their prosecutions. We've already heard that this particular person was of diminished capability, so we're most likely going to see some protection in regard to that," Donna Rotunno informed Fox Information Digital. "My guess is the feds needed to leap in to allow them to have some management over the destiny of the defendant."

Jose Medina-Medina, 25, was arrested after he allegedly killed 18-year-old Loyola College Chicago pupil Sheridan Gorman on March 19 within the early morning hours. The Division of Homeland Safety mentioned that Medina-Medina is an illegal immigrant from Venezuela who first entered the U.S. in 2023, when he was apprehended however launched into the nation below the Biden administration.

Federal prosecutors on Thursday charged Medina-Medina with illegally possessing a firearm, which carries a most sentence of 10 years in federal jail. The firearm Medina-Medina allegedly used to kill Gorman was illegally bought round February 6, 2008, from a Federal Firearms Licensee in Montgomery, Alabama, in line with a charging doc.

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Sheridan Gorman smiles alongside the Chicago skyline in Illinois. (Sheridan G. Gorman through Instagram)

"Given the mindless, cold-blooded nature of the homicide of a younger pupil with a vivid future forward of her, the Chicago U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace will take no possibilities that this unlawful alien perpetrator can be launched again into our group," mentioned U.S. Lawyer Boutros.

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Jose Medina-Medina, a Venezuelan nationwide, was additionally arrested for shoplifting and launched earlier than the alleged homicide, DHS confirmed. (DHS)

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Along with the federal expenses, Medina-Medina additionally faces state-level expenses of homicide, tried homicide, aggravated assault, aggravated discharge of a firearm, and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Sheridan Gorman, a New York native, was reportedly only some months away from finishing her freshman yr at Loyola College Chicago in Illinois. (Sheridan G. Gorman through Instagram)

Throughout a detention listening to for Medina-Medina, prosecutors revealed that Gorman was together with her associates at a Rogers Park pier when she appeared round a lighthouse and noticed Medina-Medina there. Gorman then walked again in direction of her associates and mouthed "there is a man behind the lighthouse," at which level Medina-Medina started chasing them.

Prosecutors mentioned Gorman was shot within the higher again whereas the group of associates ran away from Medina-Medina. Her associates saved operating till they discovered a spot to cover, then went again to examine on Gorman, who was unresponsive.

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<source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/03/343/192/sketch-jose-medina-sheridan-gorman-chicago-court-illegal-immigration-fox-news-002.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/03/686/384/sketch-jose-medina-sheridan-gorman-chicago-court-illegal-immigration-fox-news-002.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="192" width="343"><source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/03/672/378/sketch-jose-medina-sheridan-gorman-chicago-court-illegal-immigration-fox-news-002.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/03/1344/756/sketch-jose-medina-sheridan-gorman-chicago-court-illegal-immigration-fox-news-002.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"><source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/03/931/523/sketch-jose-medina-sheridan-gorman-chicago-court-illegal-immigration-fox-news-002.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/03/1862/1046/sketch-jose-medina-sheridan-gorman-chicago-court-illegal-immigration-fox-news-002.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"><source media="(min-width: 1280px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/03/720/405/sketch-jose-medina-sheridan-gorman-chicago-court-illegal-immigration-fox-news-002.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/03/1440/810/sketch-jose-medina-sheridan-gorman-chicago-court-illegal-immigration-fox-news-002.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="405" width="720"> Sketch of Jose Medina-Medina in court docket in Chicago, Friday, March 27, 2026. Medina-Medina, who's within the nation illegally, allegedly shot and killed Sheridan Gorman whereas she was at a pier within the Rogers Park space. (L.D. Chukman)

Whereas Medina-Medina was in Colombia, he was shot within the head, which resulted within the lack of a portion of his mind and cranium, leaving him to relearn primary features, his lawyer mentioned. Medina-Medina's lawyer mentioned that he has the mind improvement of a kid and can't learn or write.

Medina-Medina's lawyer additionally mentioned that he suffers from epilepsy and nonetheless has bullet fragments lodged in his mind. The homicide suspect turned himself in on the Texas border in 2023, the place he was held in detention earlier than being launched. His lawyer mentioned that Medina-Medina requested to be despatched again to Colombia, the place his mom had moved to, however was transported by bus to Chicago.

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Throughout Medina-Medina's time in a shelter, he contracted tuberculosis, in line with his lawyer. He was handled for tuberculosis after being arrested on homicide expenses, which led to a delay in his detention listening to.

Members of the Gorman household together with associates of the slain school pupil had been on the court docket listening to through Zoom, the place a decide held Medina-Medina to be detained pending trial.

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Shut up of Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old Loyola College Chicago pupil who was fatally shot close to campus. (Sheridan G. Gorman through Instagram)

"We sat in a courtroom and listened because the particular person accused of taking Sheridan’s life was described by the lens of his background, his circumstances, and his struggles," Gorman's household mentioned. "We heard a name for compassion. And we perceive that intuition. Each life has a narrative. However we can not lose sight of the straightforward, devastating fact on the heart of all of this: Sheridan had a life too."

Court documents obtained by Fox Information Digital present that Medina-Medina informed officers he was residing at Leone Seashore Park fieldhouse in Rogers Park in 2023, which was getting used as a city-sponsored shelter for migrants. Medina-Medina was arrested in 2023 and charged with shoplifting after he allegedly stole simply over $130 in merchandise from a Macy's in downtown Chicago . He failed to seem for court docket hearings associated to that case, and an arrest warrant remained energetic till the alleged homicide.