Chicago man sentenced to 37 years in prison for Joliet murder

A Chicago man was sentenced to 37 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to the murder of a man who was lured into a vehicle, killed, robbed and then left lying on the parking lot of Denny’s restaurant in Joliet.

On Friday, Will County Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak sentenced Christopher Parker, 28, to serve 37 years in prison after he agreed to plead guilty to the April 30, 2019 first-degree murder of Gregory Brown, 36, outside Denny’s, 2531 Plainfield Road, Joliet.

Parker is one of three suspects who conspired to rob Brown, according to prosecutors. The two other suspects are Joshua Anderson, 25, of Chicago, who is Parker’s cousin, and Bobbie Ollom, 29, of Seneca, who was Anderson’s girlfriend.

In the events leading to Brown’s murder, Ollom had contacted Brown on Facebook and he agreed to pay her $850 for a sexual act, according to prosecutors. After the two met up at Denny’s, Brown went inside Ollom’s vehicle, where Anderson and Parker were hiding, prosecutors said.

Right as Brown entered the vehicle, he was shot in the head, prosecutors said. Parker took cash from Brown’s pockets and Brown’s body was left in the parking lot, prosecutors said.

During police interviews, Anderson had accused Parker of being the shooter and Ollom claimed the robbery was Parker’s idea, prosecutors said.

In 2023, Ollom was sentenced to 18 years in prison after she agreed to plead guilty to armed robbery.

Anderson has not yet gone to trial on charges of first-degree murder and armed robbery. His case is set for a status hearing on Nov. 4 and a jury trial on Dec. 9.