KANKAKEE, IL— Darius Sullivan was found guilty on Thursday for the 2021 murder of Bradley, Illinois Police Sergeant Marlene Rittmanic, 49, who was brutally gunned down with her own sidearm. The deliberations took just over an hour. The defendant was convicted of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder of a peace officer, and three counts of endangering the life of a child.
According to NBC 5 Chicago, Sullivan, who was 25 at the time of the murder, was found to have shot Sgt. Rittmanic after Bradley PD officers responded to a December 29th, 2021 noise complaint referring to barking dogs in a parked car near a hotel. Rittmanic and her partner Officer Tyler Bailey, 27, investigated and found the vehicle was owned by Xandria Harris, who was with Sullivan and also faced charges in the murder.
As explained by Kankakee County State's Attorney Jim Rowe, the two officers inquired after Harris and Sullivan at the hotel and were directed by staff to room 308. Sullivan was discovered to have outstanding warrants for failure to appear in court and had fled the Bradley Police Department on previous occasions.
Rittmanic and Bailey knocked on the hotel room door at 10:13 p.m. identifying themselves as Police and asking Harris to come address the noise complaint about the dogs.
The outlet reported that after approximately 14 minutes, Harris attempted to exit the door through the smallest opening possible to prevent the officers from trying to apprehend Sullivan. Both Rittmanic and Bailey asked her several times to stop blocking the doorway when Sullivan emerged from cover pointing a 9mm handgun equipped with a drum clip at the officers, according to the prosecutor.
A struggle ensued between Harris and the officers, during which Sullivan shot Bailey in the head at close range, Rowe explained. He then turned the weapon on Rittmanic as she attempted to fall back. Sullivan gave chase and pinned her against a door with the assailant attempting to clear a jam from his firearm while trying to disarm Sgt. Rittmanic with his free hand. Harris began to assist him with Sullivan telling her "cock the gun, cock the gun" the prosecutor added until Harris successfully disarmed the officer.
According to the prosecutor Sullivan and Harris both stood over Sgt. Rittmanic as she pleaded with them not to shoot her. “Sgt. Rittmanic was pleading with them to, ‘Just leave, you don’t have to do this, please just go, please don’t, please don’t,’” Rowe said, according to NBC. “She was desperately pleading for her life.”
Sullivan then shot Rittmanic with her own weapon twice at point-blank range striking her in the neck. The two then fled separately after Harris gathered her three children who were in the room with them.
Both officers were transported to an area hospital in critical condition where Rittmanic later succumbed to her injuries, Bailey would be in intensive care for nearly a month after. The U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force later arrested Sullivan near Ft. Wayne, Indiana without incident. Harris surrendered approximately seven hours later.
Outside the courthouse following the verdict, Bradley police chief Don Barber told WGNTV reporters, "It’s hard not to feel anything but sadness because of this senseless act of violence that we experienced."
"An officer killed, murdered in the line of duty, and another officer left with life-altering injuries. These officers put their life on the line for this community. It’s a victory to us, and to the family, however it is hard at this point to feel justice. Because justice would be Marlene would still be here, with her family, serving her community.”
According to NBC 5 Chicago, Sullivan, who was 25 at the time of the murder, was found to have shot Sgt. Rittmanic after Bradley PD officers responded to a December 29th, 2021 noise complaint referring to barking dogs in a parked car near a hotel. Rittmanic and her partner Officer Tyler Bailey, 27, investigated and found the vehicle was owned by Xandria Harris, who was with Sullivan and also faced charges in the murder.
As explained by Kankakee County State's Attorney Jim Rowe, the two officers inquired after Harris and Sullivan at the hotel and were directed by staff to room 308. Sullivan was discovered to have outstanding warrants for failure to appear in court and had fled the Bradley Police Department on previous occasions.
Rittmanic and Bailey knocked on the hotel room door at 10:13 p.m. identifying themselves as Police and asking Harris to come address the noise complaint about the dogs.
The outlet reported that after approximately 14 minutes, Harris attempted to exit the door through the smallest opening possible to prevent the officers from trying to apprehend Sullivan. Both Rittmanic and Bailey asked her several times to stop blocking the doorway when Sullivan emerged from cover pointing a 9mm handgun equipped with a drum clip at the officers, according to the prosecutor.
A struggle ensued between Harris and the officers, during which Sullivan shot Bailey in the head at close range, Rowe explained. He then turned the weapon on Rittmanic as she attempted to fall back. Sullivan gave chase and pinned her against a door with the assailant attempting to clear a jam from his firearm while trying to disarm Sgt. Rittmanic with his free hand. Harris began to assist him with Sullivan telling her "cock the gun, cock the gun" the prosecutor added until Harris successfully disarmed the officer.
According to the prosecutor Sullivan and Harris both stood over Sgt. Rittmanic as she pleaded with them not to shoot her. “Sgt. Rittmanic was pleading with them to, ‘Just leave, you don’t have to do this, please just go, please don’t, please don’t,’” Rowe said, according to NBC. “She was desperately pleading for her life.”
Sullivan then shot Rittmanic with her own weapon twice at point-blank range striking her in the neck. The two then fled separately after Harris gathered her three children who were in the room with them.
Both officers were transported to an area hospital in critical condition where Rittmanic later succumbed to her injuries, Bailey would be in intensive care for nearly a month after. The U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force later arrested Sullivan near Ft. Wayne, Indiana without incident. Harris surrendered approximately seven hours later.
Outside the courthouse following the verdict, Bradley police chief Don Barber told WGNTV reporters, "It’s hard not to feel anything but sadness because of this senseless act of violence that we experienced."
"An officer killed, murdered in the line of duty, and another officer left with life-altering injuries. These officers put their life on the line for this community. It’s a victory to us, and to the family, however it is hard at this point to feel justice. Because justice would be Marlene would still be here, with her family, serving her community.”
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Comments
2024-09-30T23:57-0500 | Comment by: James
Rigged trial ....... Stacked jury ...........