Two men, Kenneth “Kenny Mac” Merritt and Damarri “Marri” Conner, are now facing federal charges for their alleged involvement in a violent crime that took place on November 2, 2023. The grand jury indictment includes federal charges of using a firearm during a violent crime and carjacking against the two men.
The incident occurred in the 9300 block of South Pleasant, where two men entered a family’s backyard as a woman and her 12-year-old daughter returned home. The men forcefully knocked the woman to the ground, stole her purse, and threatened her with a gun. When the woman’s husband came out of the house, he was also threatened and robbed by the perpetrators.
Surveillance footage captured the entire incident, showing the men committing the robbery and carjacking. After deciding on which car to take, the men fled the scene with the family’s Audi. Days later, another car belonging to the family was stolen, possibly using keys taken during the initial robbery.
In a detention petition filed earlier, state prosecutors detailed Conner’s violent actions during the crime, including threatening to shoot the victims, grabbing one of them by the neck, and using a stolen credit card. Additionally, clothes worn during the robbery were found in Conner’s bedroom. At the time of the crime, Conner was out on bail for a felony gun charge.
Meanwhile, Merritt was identified by Chicago police from surveillance footage showing him using a stolen credit card at a BP station. He was wearing the same clothes worn during the robbery and carjacking. Merritt admitted to taking a bus to the crime scene, a claim supported by CTA surveillance video. He had been on parole since July 2021 after serving time for previous robberies and firearm possession charges.
Records show that Merritt had been involved in carjackings in 2016, which were initially charged as aggravated offenses but later reduced in a plea deal. The locations of the carjackings were in Old Town and Lincoln Park.
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