A court appearance was made by Jose Medina-Medina, the undocumented immigrant charged with the murder of 18-year-old Loyola University freshman Sheridan Gorman. He participated in the hearing remotely from a hospital bed after experiencing a seizure, as reported by his defense attorney.
Medina, originally from Venezuela, didn’t attend the court session in person; instead, he joined via Zoom due to his hospitalization following the seizure over the weekend. A Cook County judge has mandated that he be present physically at the next hearing if his health allows.
Defense lawyers have consistently claimed that Medina has suffered from seizures and various health issues since a shooting incident in Colombia in 2018.
During the hearing, Medina’s attorney mentioned they were still awaiting more details about his medical condition before deciding on any pretrial motions.
On the prosecution side, they are continuing to advance the murder case. They informed the court that they had shared additional evidence with the defense, including DNA results from firearms recovered at the crime scene. Ongoing trace evidence tests may lead to further DNA analyses depending upon what the current tests reveal.
Additionally, prosecutors presented evidence related to another case against Medina involving the possession of a homemade shank while in custody. They are still in the process of procuring body camera footage and hospital surveillance videos connected to this matter.
Interestingly, Sheridan Gorman’s family was not present at Monday’s hearing, which is a bit unusual given the gravity of the situation.
Since his arrest in March, Medina has been held in jail and has pleaded not guilty to the murder charges. Gorman tragically lost his life while strolling with a friend near Tobey Prinz Beach in Chicago’s Rogers Park area. Officials allege that Medina was the one who fired the shots that resulted in Gorman’s death.
