Sergeant Marlene Rittmanic.Photo: Bradley Police Department
PEOPLE confirms that Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe has submitted a request to the United States Attorney, seeking federal first-degree murder charges against Darius Sullivan, 25, and Xandria Harris, 26.
A statement from Rowe’s office indicates he intends to pursue a “federal sentence of death against both defendants,” since Illinois is not a death penalty state.
“Under these circumstances, the United States Attorney General can authorize the filing of a petition to seek the death penalty in a federal murder case,” reads the statement, which notes multiple first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder charges have been filed in Illinois against the two suspects.
Rittmanic, 49, and her 27-year-old partner, Officer Tyler Bailey, were shot last week during an incident at the Comfort Inn in Bradley. The officers had been dispatched to the hotel after someone staying there called to complain about barking dogs that had been left in a parked car.
Bailey and Rittmanic learned that the car was registered to Harris — an alleged associate of Darius Sullivan, who was wanted on several active arrest warrants.
Bailey and Rittmanic learned the two were staying at the hotel, and went to their room.
According to police, Sullivan allegedly shot Bailey in the head after the he and Rittmanic knocked on their room’s door.
Sullivan also shot and struck Rittmanic as she fled, say police.
Rowe alleged the two suspects stood over the wounded officer and killed her, even as she begged for them to spare 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 tothe Chicago Sun-Times. “She was desperately pleading for her life.”
Rowe alleged it was Sullivan who shot Rittmanic with her own service weapon. She was shot twice in the neck.
Bailey sustained critically injuries, and continues to fight for his life at a local hospital.A GoFundMe campaignis active online, and raising money to pay for his mounting medical bills.
Both suspects are being held without bail and have yet to enter pleas to the charges against them.
Lawyer information for the pair was not available at press time.
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Police have also filed charges against Sullivan’s mother, Nichele Newton-Caroll, and his brother, Jalmen Sullivan.
Newton-Caroll is charged with obstruction of justice for making false statements to law enforcement while Jalmen Sullivan faces one count of harboring a fugitive to aid in his escape.
Newton-Caroll is alleged to have made false statements to law enforcement during an interview conducted in Demotte, Ind. Sullivan allegedly transported his brother from Kankakee County to Wabash, Ind., to aid Darius in evading police.
Police did not release the ages of the mother and brother, who will be prosecuted in Indiana. It was unclear Wednesday if they had entered pleas or had lawyers.
source: people.com
