Chicago man rejects plea offer in Joliet Denny’s murder case

A Chicago man has rejected a plea offer on the eve of his trial in the Joliet Denny’s murder case and could face up to 120 years if convicted, prosecutors said.

Jury selection is scheduled to take place Tuesday for Joshua Anderson, 25, who is charged with the 2019 first-degree murder and robbery of Gregory Brown, 36, outside the Denny’s restaurant at 2531 Plainfield Road.

On Monday, Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Christine Vukmir told Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak that Anderson faces a minimum of 56 years in prison and a maximum of 120 years if convicted of the charges.

Vukmir said a plea deal with a “significantly” lesser penalty was offered but he passed on it.

“All offers are off the table at this point,” Vukmir said.

The cases against Anderson’s alleged accomplices have already concluded with plea deals.

Anderson’s former girlfriend, Bobbie Ollom, 29, of Seneca, was sentenced to 18 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to armed robbery. Anderson’s cousin, Christopher Parker, 28, of Chicago, was sentenced to 37 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to Brown’s murder.

Ollom may testify against Anderson if the trial moves forward this week.

Jury selection was supposed to begin Monday. However, Anderson once again refused Bertani-Tomczak’s offer to wear clothes other than his jail uniform.

“I don’t want to wear nothing that you all people be giving me,” Anderson told the judge.

Bertani-Tomczak insisted Anderson not wear his jail uniform during trial. Anderson’s repeated refusals led Bertani-Tomczak to ask his mother, who was in the courtroom gallery, if she could bring him clothes.

Bertani-Tomczak said defendants wear civilian clothes at trial so the jury does not know they’ve been incarcerated.

“It could be used against him in their mind even if I tell them not to,” Bertani-Tomczak said.

But Anderson told his mother, “They’re going to find me guilty, anyways.” In response, Anderson’s mother told him, “Can you do this for me?”

Other family members also implored Anderson to wear civilian clothes. After a while, Anderson wrote down his clothing sizes on a sheet of paper that one of his attorneys passed to his mother.

The case against Anderson has dragged on for more than five years because of numerous pretrial motions he filed on his own behalf.

Anderson has also gone back and forth on whether to represent himself or use an attorney.

As of Monday, Anderson has elected to have attorneys with the Will County Public Defender’s Office represent him.

They initially wanted to withdraw from the case after Anderson repeatedly told one of them, “Shut the (expletive) up,” according to a Sept. 10 court filing.

Anderson signaled to Bertani-Tomczak on Monday that he wanted more time to seek representation from one of his former attorneys, David Drwencke, who withdrew from the case.

Vukmir objected to Anderson’s request.

“This is a delay tactic being done by the defendant,” Vukmir said.

Bertani-Tomczak decided to move forward with jury selection.

The case against Anderson stems from a police investigation of an April 30, 2019, fatal shooting outside the Denny’s. The restaurant is about half a mile from a commercial corridor in Joliet where the Louis Joliet Mall is located.

Ollom had contacted Brown on Facebook and the two agreed to meet at Denny’s when Ollom promised to perform a sexual act for him in exchange for $850, prosecutors said.

Brown was lured into Ollom’s vehicle, where Anderson and Parker were hiding, prosecutors said.

Right as Brown entered the vehicle, he was shot in the head and his cash was stolen, prosecutors said.

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

During Ollom’s sentencing hearing, Ebony Daniels, Gregory Brown’s sister, called Ollom a murderer.

“You led my brother to his death,” Daniels said.