Man charged with killing 14-year-old girl in Indian Head Park

CBS Chicago
John Wilson Jr., 38, is charged with the murder of Kelli O’Laughlin, 14, at her home in Indian Head Park. (Credit: Illinois Department Of Corrections)
John Wilson Jr., 38, is charged with the murder of Kelli O’Laughlin, 14, at her home in Indian Head Park. (Credit: Illinois Department Of Corrections)


INDIAN HEAD PARK, Ill. (CBS) — Authorities have charged a parolee in the grisly murder of 14-year-old Kelli O'Laughlin in Indian Head Park.

Sources say the suspect stole Kelli's cell phone after he killed her, and might have sent chilling messages to the girl's mother, taunting her.

As CBS 2's Susanna Song reports, John Wilson Jr., 38, of Chicago, is expected to appear for a bond hearing Friday morning at the Bridgeview Courthouse on charges of burglary and first-degree murder.

Officials are also expected to conduct a news conference on the charges at the Indian Head Park police station later Friday morning.

As friends and family lay Kelli to rest Friday, prosecutors and law enforcement officials say they are certain they have the man who took her precious life at the tender age of 14.

"We feel very confident about the case and about the individual that is in custody right now," Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said Thursday night before charges were filed. "There has been a lot of leads — over 100 leads have been worked out so far — and we feel very confident about the individual, and we feel very confident about the evidence we have right now. We've presented the case to the State's Attorney's Office."

Police say Kelli came home from school and surprised Wilson, who was burglarizing her home.

They say he attacked Kelli and stabbed her multiple times, killing her.

Sources say police picked up Wilson Wednesday on Chicago's South Side. He did not have the murder weapon on him when he was arrested.

A source tells WBBM Newsradio Wilson actually had some kind of "interaction" with a police officer from Willow Springs at a convenience store the night of the murder, but he was not arrested. From there, Wilson called a taxi to take him away from the area.

"You never want to let your guard down," said Indian Head Park police Chief Frank Alonzo. "You always want to be aware of your surroundings; just keep that vigil. But as far as this crime in concerned, I think we all can rest a little bit easier."

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Wilson has three prior convictions, including one for armed robbery.

Indian Head Park had been targeted by a burglary ring over the summer.

Meanwhile, Kelli's funeral mass was held Friday at St. John of the Cross Church, 5005 Wolf Road in Western Springs.

The Chicago Sun-Times contributed to this report, via the Sun-Times Media Wire.

Photo captions: John Wilson Jr., 38, (above) is charged with the murder of Kelli O'Laughlin, 14, at her home in Indian Head Park. (CBS Chicago via Illinois Department 0f Corrections and the O'Laughlin Family)