No Bail for Suspect John L. Wilson Jr. in Kelli O’Laughlin’s Murder

John L. Wilson, Jr. the man suspected of murdering Kelli O'Laughlin when she caught him burglarizing her home last Thursday, is being held without bail, authorities said.

Cook County Judge Peter Felice on Friday has decided to set no bail for Wilson. The suspect will remain in custody at Cook County Jail, according to the Cook County State Attorney's Office. A preliminary hearing for Wilson has been set for Nov. 28.

O'Laughlin died of multiple stab wounds

Wilson, 38, who is from the 7900 block of South Lafayette, Chicago, Ill., has been accused of stabbing the 14-year-old Lyons Township High student on Oct. 27.

On Friday, he was charged with first-degree felony murder, first-degree murder and residential burglary. O'Laughlin was buried on the same day authorities moved swiftly to bring her alleged killer to justice.

The Cook County State Attorney's Office said the Indian Head Park Police responded to a 911 call and when they arrived at O'Laughlin's home located in the 6300 Block of Keokuk, they saw that the teenager with stab wounds to the back, neck and chest.

O'Laughlin was then taken to Adventist LaGrange Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Dr. Nancy Jones, Cook County Medical Examiner, said O'Laughlin died as a result of multiple stab wounds and she ruled the manner of death as a homicide.

Returning from school

Investigators with the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force have said that around 3:40 p.m. on Oct. 27, O'Laughlin returned home from school and Wilson confronted her and fatally stabbed her multiple times. He then dragged the teen's body from the family room to the kitchen, according to a release issued after Wilson's bond hearing on Friday.

A Chicago Cutlery carving knife, which has a blade length of approximately 8 inches was found next to a large blood pool in the family room. That knife was a part of a knife set that was in the kitchen prior to the murder.

The attorney's office said Wilson was seen earlier that day between 2:45 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. in the area of the O'Laughlin's home by three witnesses. Those witnesses have since identified Wilson in physical line ups held on Thursday at LaGrange Police Department.

The victim's residence was ransacked and various items were taken from the home, including a bowl, which contained various coins of different denominations and from different countries of origin, according to the attorney's office. Other items from the dresser drawer were dumped on the bed in the master bedroom. In addition, Kelli's cell phone and her iPod Touch were taken from the scene.

Police investigation also found that Wilson gained entry to the home by throwing a rock that was wrapped in his knit cap through a dinning room window at the rear of the residence.

Officers with the Suburban Major Crimes Task Force recovered that knit cap and sent it to the Illinois State Police Forensic Laboratory. Forensic Analysts were able to recover DNA material, which got a hit in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). Forensic analysts said the DNA material belonged to Wilson.

Wilson is a parolee who has served time in prison for drug possession, carjacking, aggravated battery and possessing a stolen vehicle.

After committing the murder, the defendant fled the scene, the attorney's office said. The defendant was next observed at the 711 located at Willow Springs Road and Archer Ave where he had contact with an officer from the Willow Springs Police Department, who through a conversation with the defendant, learned his name was John L. Wilson of Chicago.

Authorities said Wilson had called for a taxi and was headed to the city. Police investigation determined that he was dropped off at the Orange Line by Midway Airport. Wilson also paid the cab fare with coins from various denomination and from different countries of origin, authorities said.

Investigators have recovered these coins and they have been inventoried, the attorney's office said.

The United States Secret Service were able to close in on Wilson by tracking his personal cell phone as well as the dead teen's cellphone. With the technologies they had at hand, the agents learned that these two phones traveled in tandem with one another throughout the City of Chicago.

Police also said that Wilson used Kelli O'Laughlin's cellphone to send text messages of a taunting and disturbing nature to her mother within hours of her daughter's murder.

Officers with the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force located and apprehended Wilson on the South side of Chicago on Nov. 2, six days after Kelli O'Laughlin's murder.

At the time he was taken into custody he was in possession of a cell phone, the attorney's office said. It has been determined that this phone was a Cricket phone, used by the defendant as he carried the victim's phone with him throughout the City. That same Cricket phone has been identified by the US Secret Service has been inventoried by the task force.