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On trial for city slaying
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| Freeman |
By Sara Siekierski
Daily News staff writer
Beloiter faces murder count
The defendant accused of killing a Beloit man in November 2005 in retaliation for a previous shooting is on trial this week in Rock County.
Rick Freeman, 22, of the 900 block of Bellevue Place, Beloit, was arrested in November 2007 for first degree intentional homicide with the use of a dangerous weapon.
Maurice Hanna, 20, was shot in the head and killed on Nov. 9, 2005, in the 1300 block of Porter Avenue. Freeman, aka “Baby Boy,” was 19 years old at the time of the slaying.
A witness who saw the shooting, Laquesha Barnes, 22, of Beloit, took the stand Tuesday afternoon. Barnes told the jury she was walking towards the corner of Hull and Porter avenues with her niece when a black car pulled into the driveway north of her. She saw a black male, believed to be Freeman, walk toward Hanna, who was across the street from her, and watched as the two began to speak.
In March 2007, Barnes told detectives that when she looked away for a moment to speak to her niece, she heard a loud bang and looked up to find Freeman pointing a long, silver handgun at Hanna's head. On Tuesday, she couldn't recall what the handgun looked like or if she had seen the gun pointed at Hanna's head. Barnes saw Hanna fall back and Freeman run from the scene toward a black car.
Authorities said Hanna's death was an act of retaliation. According to the criminal complaint, a couple of months prior to the homicide members of one group believed Hanna had been involved in a shooting incident. Hanna's accusers beat him with a pistol in the 1000 block of Sixth Street for the incident. According to Hanna's brother, Hanna said he wasn't going to report the beating to police because he was going to take care of it himself.
Shortly after, a shooting happened in an alley in the 1000 block of Sixth Street. Supposedly, Hanna was the shooter as shots were fired toward an occupied van.
Freeman allegedly said he would take care of Hanna. After the shooting Freeman was to run west toward Nelson Avenue and get into a truck driven by an associate. But as Freeman ran toward Nelson, he saw the truck going toward Switchtrack Alley. Freeman eventually went back to Porter Avenue and got into a black vehicle that brought him to the area.
Authorities say a .44 caliber revolver was used to kill Hanna, borrowed from one of Freeman's associates, who also was the driver of the vehicle that transported Freeman to and from the crime scene. There was not enough evidence to charge the owner of the gun with Hanna's murder, according to police.
Freeman was apprehended by police on Nov. 17, 2007, after causing a two-car accident at the intersection of Portland Avenue and Bluff Street. His trial continues today.
The defendant accused of killing a Beloit man in November 2005 in retaliation for a previous shooting is on trial this week in Rock County.
Rick Freeman, 22, of the 900 block of Bellevue Place, Beloit, was arrested in November 2007 for first degree intentional homicide with the use of a dangerous weapon.
Maurice Hanna, 20, was shot in the head and killed on Nov. 9, 2005, in the 1300 block of Porter Avenue. Freeman, aka “Baby Boy,” was 19 years old at the time of the slaying.
A witness who saw the shooting, Laquesha Barnes, 22, of Beloit, took the stand Tuesday afternoon. Barnes told the jury she was walking towards the corner of Hull and Porter avenues with her niece when a black car pulled into the driveway north of her. She saw a black male, believed to be Freeman, walk toward Hanna, who was across the street from her, and watched as the two began to speak.
In March 2007, Barnes told detectives that when she looked away for a moment to speak to her niece, she heard a loud bang and looked up to find Freeman pointing a long, silver handgun at Hanna's head. On Tuesday, she couldn't recall what the handgun looked like or if she had seen the gun pointed at Hanna's head. Barnes saw Hanna fall back and Freeman run from the scene toward a black car.
Authorities said Hanna's death was an act of retaliation. According to the criminal complaint, a couple of months prior to the homicide members of one group believed Hanna had been involved in a shooting incident. Hanna's accusers beat him with a pistol in the 1000 block of Sixth Street for the incident. According to Hanna's brother, Hanna said he wasn't going to report the beating to police because he was going to take care of it himself.
Shortly after, a shooting happened in an alley in the 1000 block of Sixth Street. Supposedly, Hanna was the shooter as shots were fired toward an occupied van.
Freeman allegedly said he would take care of Hanna. After the shooting Freeman was to run west toward Nelson Avenue and get into a truck driven by an associate. But as Freeman ran toward Nelson, he saw the truck going toward Switchtrack Alley. Freeman eventually went back to Porter Avenue and got into a black vehicle that brought him to the area.
Authorities say a .44 caliber revolver was used to kill Hanna, borrowed from one of Freeman's associates, who also was the driver of the vehicle that transported Freeman to and from the crime scene. There was not enough evidence to charge the owner of the gun with Hanna's murder, according to police.
Freeman was apprehended by police on Nov. 17, 2007, after causing a two-car accident at the intersection of Portland Avenue and Bluff Street. His trial continues today.
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