A DuPage County judge denied pretrial release for a Naperville woman charged with murdering a man after an altercation in an Oakbrook Terrace hotel on Saturday night.
Latrice Phillips, 51, of the 1400 block of Normantown Road, appeared in First Appearance Court Monday charged with one count of First-Degree Murder, according to a news release from DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Oakbook Terrace Police Chief Casey Calvello.
Around 8:15 p.m. Dec. 2, Oakbrook Terrace police officers responded to a call of shots fired at the Hilton Suites, 10 Drury Lane, the release said. When the officers arrived they found victim, Calvin Truitt, with gunshot wounds to his backside. Truit was transported to a hospital where he died because of injuries.
Prosecutors allege that an investigation found Phillips got into a verbal altercation with a person in a group of people whom she knew, including Truitt, at the hotel pool. Truitt and his group left the pool area and got into an elevator, the release said. Phillips allegedly followed the group when they left the pool area and got on the elevator with them.
According to the news release, when the elevator doors opened on the seventh floor, a fight broke out at which time Phillips allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired three times, striking Truitt. Prosecutors allege after the shooting, Phillips left the scene and returned to her hotel room. She was taken into custody a short time later from her hotel room without incident. When processing Phillips’ hotel room, authorities recovered a Taurus 9 mm handgun in a holster from Phillips’ waistband, the release said.
“The allegations that Ms. Phillips followed Mr. Truitt and others into a hotel elevator as they walked away from a verbal altercation and then shot and killed Mr. Truitt as they exited the elevator in a crowded hotel during the busy holiday season are shocking and will be met with the full force of the law,” Berlin said in the release. “In DuPage County, we do not tolerate any type of gun violence. I commend the Oakbrook Terrace Police Department for their prompt response and thorough investigation that allowed us to file first degree murder charges within twenty-four hours of the murder.”
“I would like to thank the men and women in law enforcement for their heroism in responding to an active shooter,” Calvello said in a statement. “Within minutes the officers had administered first aid to the victim, secured a ten-story building to ensure the safety of others, and then apprehended the suspect. The quick actions of the officers are a shining example of law enforcement working together with the help from the State’s Attorney’s office to successfully charge the suspect with first-degree murder. I would like to thank the brave men and women in law enforcement for their service and ongoing efforts to keep our communities safe.”
Phillips’ next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 4, 2024, for arraignment in front of Judge Daniel Guerin.