Defense renews jail release bid in case tied to Joliet mass shooting

A defense attorney has renewed his bid for the jail release of a Shorewood man facing charges tied to a deadly shooting spree in 2024 carried out by a Joliet man who later died by suicide in a confrontation with police.

On Monday, Jeff Tomczak, attorney for Jon Hansen, 25, told Will County Judge Jessica Colón-Sayre that his client should be released so he can take care of his family, including his infant son, and because prosecutors do not have enough evidence against him.

Tomczak went so far as to challenge Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow to prosecute the case himself.

“There’s no evidence that [Hansen] shot anybody,” Tomczak said.

Hansen is charged with the first-degree murder of Toyosi Bakare, 28, and the attempted first-degree murder of Mario Guerrero, who suffered a non-fatal gunshot wound to the leg.

Both men were shot by Romeo Nance, 23, of Joliet, in a shooting spree on Jan. 21, 2024 that also claimed the lives of seven members of the Esters-Nance family, according to Joliet and Will County police officials.

After the shootings, Nance fled to Texas, with the intent of crossing over into Mexico, police officials said. But he died by suicide following a confrontation with police in Texas.

The charges against Hansen are holding him accountable for Nance’s shootings of Bakare and Guerrero.

But Tomczak said prosecutors only have “conclusions and mere presence” in their case.

Colón-Sayre is expected to decide on Wednesday whether to release Hansen from jail. Under the SAFE-T Act, judges can set conditions such as home confinement and electronic monitoring for defendants.

Hansen was in a vehicle with his pregnant girlfriend at the time Nance shot Bakare and Guerrero, Tomczak said.

However, Hansen and his girlfriend were scared and trying to “stay alive” in the presence of a “homicidal maniac” who was “singing songs about having a shootout with the police,” Tomczak said.

Hansen and his girlfriend could have been killed that day as well, Tomczak said.

Assistant State’s Attorney Alexandra Molesky said the state will be able to “meet our burden of proof” in the case against Hansen, whom she said pledged his “allegiance and friendship” to Nance.

Molesky said Hansen sent Nance text messages before the murder of the Esters-Nance family, where Hansen asked Nance if he wanted to have a confrontation with the Vice Lords gang.

Molesky said Hansen sent another text message to Nance that showed his violent intentions, which was further evident by Hansen attempting to solicit another person to attack the Vice Lords gang.

Prosecutors have said Hansen allegedly told his girlfriend that Nance was “grabbing him” to go “torch [expletive].”

Hansen gave statements to the police that were contradicted by information obtained in an analysis of cellphones and he attempted to get rid of a firearm following the shootings, Molesky said.

“There are no restrictive conditions that can protect the public from this defendant,” Molesky said.

Tomczak said despite the allegations about Hansen wanting to attack gang members, Bakare and Guerrero were “randomly selected” by Nance.

“They’re trying to spin this as a gang ride-around shooting,” Tomczak said of the prosecutors.