A Chicago woman who was arrested for murder after allegedly ordering her 14-year-old son to shoot a man dead in a fast-food eatery was freed Monday after prosecutors dropped the charges against her and the teen.
Carlishia Hood, 35, and her son had both been charged with first-degree murder last week for the June 18 shooting death of Jeremy Brown, 32, at the hot dog joint Maxwell Street Express, CBS Chicago reported.
Hood and Brown had gotten into an argument while waiting for food and the mother allegedly texted her son who was waiting in the car to come help her.
The young teen has been accused of gunning down the man with his mother’s firearm at her order.
However, new evidence came to light over the weekend that made the Cook County State’s Attorney reconsider the charges.
A previously unreleased video of Brown brutally pummeling Hood in the head inside the restaurant began circulating on social media.
“Based upon our continued review and in light of emerging evidence, today the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has moved to dismiss the charges against Carlisha Hood and her 14-year-old son,” the office said in a statement Monday. “Based upon the facts, evidence, and the law we are unable to meet our burden of proof in the prosecution of these cases.”
Both Hood — who was being held on $3 million bond — and her son — who was being held without bail in a juvenile detention center — were released Monday after the charges were dropped.
Hood declined to comment to CBS Chicago as she was freed, but her attorney and family said they felt that justice was finally served and were relieved to see the mom and son come back home.
The pair turned themselves in after cops released surveillance footage showing the minor entering the restaurant and allegedly shooting Brown in the back.
Hood had been waiting in line for her food when she and Brown began fighting, according to prosecutors.
The new video shows Brown threatening to knock the mother out if she “said one more thing” before he winds up and punches her in the head.
As Hood cowers in the corner, he strikes her at least twice more as other customers gasp and flee the small building.
The video cuts out following the sound of a gunshot.
It’s at that point, prosecutors said, the 14-year-old stood into the doorway and witnessed his mother being pummeled.
He took out a gun — that his mother was licensed to carry, according to the local station — and allegedly shot Brown in the back.
The wounded man fled the restaurant but was followed by the young teen and his mother who reportedly told her son to keep shooting and kill the man.
The teen fired more shots — striking Brown a total of two times, according to prosecutors.
The man later died of his injuries.
The mom then allegedly instructed her son to shoot a woman who had been laughing and encouraging Brown during the earlier fight, prosecutors said, according to CBS Chicago’s initial report.
Hood reportedly tried to grab the gun from her son, but he pushed her away and both fled the scene in her car without harming the woman.
A CBS legal analyst said the mother and son were acting in self-defense.
“You have the right to use deadly force to stop that force against another person, and that’s exactly what happened in this case, and that’s exactly why the state’s attorney’s office dropped this case today,” CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller said.
Neither Hood nor her son have a criminal record.
