Judge says ‘further detention’ needed in case linked to 2024 Joliet mass shooting

A Will County judge backed a previous judge’s ruling to keep a Shorewood man in jail as he prepares to go to trial in a case linked to a deadly 2024 Joliet shooting spree.

On Wednesday, Will County Judge Jessica Colón-Sayre said she supports the findings of Judge Vincent Cornelius, who blocked the release of Jon Hansen, 25, last year.

“I believe this court feels further detention is necessary in protecting the community and the public,” Colón-Sayre 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 nonfatal gunshot wound to the leg.

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

Hansen’s attorney, Jeff Tomczak, said there is no evidence that his client shot Bakare or Guerrero, and there’s no evidence that he played a role in the shootings.

No trial date has been set in the Hansen case, but both parties are expected to meet again Feb. 7 to decide when the trial should take place.

Nance died by suicide in a confrontation with Texas law enforcement Jan. 22, 2024. He fled to Texas after the shooting spree.