| Stopping the next Hezekiah Hamilton |
Meet Hezekiah Hamilton. Hezekiah was born June 16, 1983. He served time at the
Western Illinois Correctional Center for a Class X Felony (AGG VEH HIJACKING/WEAPON)
and was released in July of 2005. His rap sheet also includes possession of cannabis
and retail theft. And he wasn’t making his child support payments.
According to the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) website, he will be released
from parole on July 13 of this year.
I have some news for IDOC; Hezekiah won’t be at the parole hearing. You see, Hezekiah
is in the Kane County Jail facing first degree murder charges. He’s been there since
last November. You really should update your records.
You see, after his release from prison, Hezekiah took up a relationship with Brenetta
Beck. They had two children together but never married.
Hezekiah is charged with murdering Beck in her Aurora apartment on October 30th.
Beck’s body was discovered by her mother when she went to the apartment and heard
the cries of her two children ages 14 months and 10 days.
There ought to be a law passed in Springfield (with unanimous support) called
Brenetta's law.
It would be a rather simple piece of legislation: Law enforcement, prosecutors, judges,
and Immigration would share information and follow existing laws on the books.
You see, Hezekiah is a Jamaican national. Any non-citizen is subject to deportation for
committing a felony. That goes for illegal aliens, green card holders, and people here on
temporary visas. If you commit a felony you do your time and then are turned over to
Immigration for deportation. Simple really.
The Illinois Department of Corrections didn’t follow that process. Hezekiah was released
out on the street in July 2005 when he should have been deported back to Jamaica.
As for judges, they have taken to making “admonishment statements.” Their role is to
simply warn the perpetrator that, if convicted, their criminal record could affect their
immigration status, up to and including deportation. But the judges don’t check; they
have done their duty once they admonish.
We’ve tried to get the attention of people in Springfield. We contacted Lisa Madigan in
August as soon as New Jersey’s Attorney General issued a directive on the matter. No
answer. You would think such a law would dovetail nicely with Madigan’s website where
it talks about fighting identity theft and safety in the community.
We asked for a little help from Mike Noland and Ruth Munson. We got lip service. We
contacted Blagojevich’s office as well. Most never bothered to respond to our e-mails.
Munson said she’d look into it.
We sent the information to a half dozen key legislators in Springfield. Not a word from
them.
So, we began working from the local level up. The city of Elgin has begun 100%
screening of foreign-born suspects brought in to the city jail. And they are getting some
results. In March 58 illegals were detected. In April 25. And Immigration was notified.
The feds have their priorities and a limited capacity so most of these local criminal aliens
are not deported, but we have hope that someday they will.
Then we contacted the Kane County Jail. The county jail is a critical place to check
immigration status. Sheriff Patrick Perez was very rude when we approached him about
it, calling our question “borderline insulting” and assuring us that he follows the Illinois
Department of Corrections “regulations”. Would those be the same regulations that set
Hezekiah Hamilton free to kill Brenetta Beck? The same IDOC regulations that indicate
the State of Illinois doesn’t even know where Hamilton is right now? That’s not very
comforting.
One would be hopeful that Brenetta Beck’s case is an isolated one, but it is not. It might
as well be called Patricia Henneken’s law or Alli Cole’s law or Jamiel Shaw’s law or
Emilee Olson’s law, or Reed Stevens’ law, or Hunter and Jesse Javens’ law, or Officer
Nick Erfle’s law, or Iofemi Hightower’s law, or Terrance Aerial’s law, or Dashon Harvey’s
law… There are names added to the list every week in America. Illegal aliens, known to
police, are released back on the street rather than being deported. And they take a life
(or two or three or four).
New Jersey has a directive issued by the Attorney General. Colorado has as state law.
Here in Illinois we treat them as though they were a protected class.
Western Illinois Correctional Center for a Class X Felony (AGG VEH HIJACKING/WEAPON)
and was released in July of 2005. His rap sheet also includes possession of cannabis
and retail theft. And he wasn’t making his child support payments.
According to the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) website, he will be released
from parole on July 13 of this year.
I have some news for IDOC; Hezekiah won’t be at the parole hearing. You see, Hezekiah
is in the Kane County Jail facing first degree murder charges. He’s been there since
last November. You really should update your records.
You see, after his release from prison, Hezekiah took up a relationship with Brenetta
Beck. They had two children together but never married.
Hezekiah is charged with murdering Beck in her Aurora apartment on October 30th.
Beck’s body was discovered by her mother when she went to the apartment and heard
the cries of her two children ages 14 months and 10 days.
There ought to be a law passed in Springfield (with unanimous support) called
Brenetta's law.
It would be a rather simple piece of legislation: Law enforcement, prosecutors, judges,
and Immigration would share information and follow existing laws on the books.
You see, Hezekiah is a Jamaican national. Any non-citizen is subject to deportation for
committing a felony. That goes for illegal aliens, green card holders, and people here on
temporary visas. If you commit a felony you do your time and then are turned over to
Immigration for deportation. Simple really.
The Illinois Department of Corrections didn’t follow that process. Hezekiah was released
out on the street in July 2005 when he should have been deported back to Jamaica.
As for judges, they have taken to making “admonishment statements.” Their role is to
simply warn the perpetrator that, if convicted, their criminal record could affect their
immigration status, up to and including deportation. But the judges don’t check; they
have done their duty once they admonish.
We’ve tried to get the attention of people in Springfield. We contacted Lisa Madigan in
August as soon as New Jersey’s Attorney General issued a directive on the matter. No
answer. You would think such a law would dovetail nicely with Madigan’s website where
it talks about fighting identity theft and safety in the community.
We asked for a little help from Mike Noland and Ruth Munson. We got lip service. We
contacted Blagojevich’s office as well. Most never bothered to respond to our e-mails.
Munson said she’d look into it.
We sent the information to a half dozen key legislators in Springfield. Not a word from
them.
So, we began working from the local level up. The city of Elgin has begun 100%
screening of foreign-born suspects brought in to the city jail. And they are getting some
results. In March 58 illegals were detected. In April 25. And Immigration was notified.
The feds have their priorities and a limited capacity so most of these local criminal aliens
are not deported, but we have hope that someday they will.
Then we contacted the Kane County Jail. The county jail is a critical place to check
immigration status. Sheriff Patrick Perez was very rude when we approached him about
it, calling our question “borderline insulting” and assuring us that he follows the Illinois
Department of Corrections “regulations”. Would those be the same regulations that set
Hezekiah Hamilton free to kill Brenetta Beck? The same IDOC regulations that indicate
the State of Illinois doesn’t even know where Hamilton is right now? That’s not very
comforting.
One would be hopeful that Brenetta Beck’s case is an isolated one, but it is not. It might
as well be called Patricia Henneken’s law or Alli Cole’s law or Jamiel Shaw’s law or
Emilee Olson’s law, or Reed Stevens’ law, or Hunter and Jesse Javens’ law, or Officer
Nick Erfle’s law, or Iofemi Hightower’s law, or Terrance Aerial’s law, or Dashon Harvey’s
law… There are names added to the list every week in America. Illegal aliens, known to
police, are released back on the street rather than being deported. And they take a life
(or two or three or four).
New Jersey has a directive issued by the Attorney General. Colorado has as state law.
Here in Illinois we treat them as though they were a protected class.