Will County judge to decide whether Harvey man guilty of New Lenox murder

A Harvey man who was charged at 16 with the 2020 murder of a young man in New Lenox is on trial this week in Will County.

The bench trial of Kevin Johnson, 21, began on Tuesday morning before Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak.

The judge will decide whether Johnson is guilty of the first-degree murder of Charles “Charlie” Baird, 19, who was mortally wounded in a shooting outside a Circle K gas station, 471 Nelson Road, New Lenox.

Baird’s homicide was the first to occur in New Lenox in 20 years.

Assistant State’s Attorney Lauren Senko contends the evidence linking Johnson to the murder includes surveillance video showing him wearing distinctive clothes and a “bow-legged gait.”

Senko said Johnson’s DNA was found on a cigarette butt inside the stolen vehicle that was at the gas station at the time of the shooting.

Johnson also allegedly made statements to authorities that are “indicative of his consciousness of guilt,” Senko said.

Jason Strzelecki, one of Johnson’s attorneys, argued there will be no credible testimony from any witnesses saying Johnson shot Baird nor any forensic evidence showing Johnson pulled the trigger on the gun.

“There is no murder weapon. There is no confession from Kevin Johnson,” Strzelecki said.

Strzelecki said the defense plans to present an alibi witness to show Johnson never left his residence at the time of the shooting.

During the pretrial phase of Johnson’s case, Bertani-Tomczak had set limits on who Johnson could contact while in jail after prosecutors alleged that he threatened to harm witnesses.

During Tuesday’s testimony, Bertani-Tomczak was shown outdoor surveillance video from Circle K gas station on May 10, 2020, showing two vehicles at the gas pumps.

The video showed a person shooting Baird in the back after he runs away from a confrontation at the gas pumps.

Prosecutors played another video showing Baird going inside the Circle K store with blood on his clothes after he was shot.

Baird is seen collapsing several times on the ground before getting back up and staggering around the store.

In another video, officers with the New Lenox Police Department are seen responding to the store just after midnight and within minutes of the shots fired call.

In that video, Baird walks toward one of the officers who sits him down on a display containing cans of Pepsi.

The video shows paramedics arriving on scene to put Baird on a stretcher. Baird would later die from his gunshot wounds on May 13, 2020.

New Lenox Deputy Chief Tim Perry, who was a patrol sergeant at the time, was one of the first officers to respond to the shooting.

Perry testified in court that he saw Baird was pale, breathing fast and he looked as if he was in a state of shock and panic.

“He was bleeding heavily from his back,” Perry said.

A paramedic testified that Baird had a single hole in his lower back that appeared to have been from a gunshot wound.

Perry said Baird was alert and responding to his questions appropriately but Baird also appeared “somewhat disoriented.”

Perry said Baird told him he did not know the shooter, never saw the shooter before and he had no description of the suspect vehicle.

Perry said Baird did describe the shooter as a Black male who was wearing a face mask.

Johnson’s trial will continue Wednesday with more witnesses called by prosecutors.