‘I was scared’: 15-year-old IL teen coaxed into making false confession of Dollar Tree shooting
Fifteen-year-old Martell Williams spoke about winding up under arrest
By Suzanne Le Mignot
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CHICAGO (WBBM) — Outrageous claims of a false confession coaxed out of a 15-year-old.
The teen’s attorney said cops tricked him with the offer of fast food. CBS 2’s Suzanne Le Mignot reports from Waukegan where the teen had an air tight alibi.
He’s a freshman at Waukegan High School. He spent two days in police custody, charged with attempted murder — until detectives finally believed he didn’t shoot anyone.
Why? Because he was playing for the school’s basketball team at the time of the crime.
Fifteen-year-old Martell Williams talks about winding up under arrest, and confusing questioning, at the Waukegan Police Department.
“I didn’t know what was going on.”
Williams insists police just wanted him to confess, but didn’t tell the high school freshman he was actually confessing to the shooting of a 19-year-old employee at a nearby Dollar Tree store.
Elvis Ramos has undergone several surgeries since the February 4th shooting. There are surveillance images of the gunman from the store.
“They just dragged me to the station and the detective kept asking me the same question over and over. It is true they bribed me with McDonalds and just tried to get a confession,” Williams said.
“I was scared for my son. It’s just wrong,” said his mother.
“They got me at school. I was confused,” said Williams.
He described sitting in class at Waukegan High School, then taken down to the school office. There was no advocate, no attorney and no call to mom.
“He’s dragged to the police station by a detective who doesn’t even do basic detective work to see where he was on the day,” said his attorney Kevin O’Connor.
Where was Williams at the time of the crime? Playing basketball for his school, at an away game some 15 miles away from the location of the shooting.
“This family came forward and proved he was playing basketball. He’s a starter. This is lazy police work.”
Williams spent two days behind bars before that basketball alibi led to the charges dropped, but his attorney said that’s not enough.
He also wants an apology given to Williams at the school to clear his name. CBS 2 is still waiting to hear back from the school and police.
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