Corey Deering Charged In Killings Of Pregnant Cook County Probation Officer Stacey Jones And Her Baby
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago Park District football coach has been charged with shooting his pregnant-ex girlfriend, Stacey Jones, killing her and his baby boy, who was delivered moments before Jones' death, but also died four days later.
Corey Deering faces two counts of first-degree murder, and is was ordered held without bail Friday afternoon. Police and prosecutors said he is the father of Jones' baby, and shot her because he didn't want to pay to care for the child.
"It appears that he didn't want her to carry the pregnancy through," CPD Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said. "It doesn't make any sense to go this far, but this is the way that he chose to resolve it."
Jones, 35, was found unresponsive on the porch of a home in the 2100 block of East 95 Place just after midnight on Oct 13. Jones, who was eight months pregnant, had been shot twice in the back, and was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. She was pronounced dead within minutes of giving birth, and her baby remained in critical condition for four days before he died on Oct. 17.
An autopsy determined the baby boy died due to a lack of blood and oxygen to the brain as a result of his mother being shot, and his death was ruled a homicide.
Jones was a Cook County probationary officer, and had a 9mm handgun secured in her waistband at the time of the shooting. Prosecutors said surveillance video of the shooting shows she never reached for her weapon before Deering shot her in the back.
Prosecutors said Jones and Deering met while he was coaching her two older sons at the Chicago Park District. The Chicago Park District confirmed Jones was an employee, who was a football coach for the Ogden Park Vikings. He has been placed on emergency suspension.
Detectives said Deering had threatened Jones before the shooting, although she had not sought a restraining order against him.
"The victim had conveyed to some of her friends that the father told her she'd never make it through the pregnancy," Deenihan said.
Prosecutors said Jones and Deering had broken up before the shooting, but Jones had told friends she was planning to hire a private investigator to get Deering's information so she could file for child support payments.
Surveillance video from a neighboring home showed a silver SUV circling the block just before the shooting. Prosecutors said the shooter's face isn't visible, but he was wearing a distinctive black sweatshirt with an orange Nike logo. Detectives recovered a video Deering recorded on his phone about 90 minutes before the shooting, showing him wearing the same sweatshirt.
Prosecutors said the video shows the gunman shining a flashlight alongside Jones' home for a few minutes before she opened the front door, and walked out onto the porch and turned her back on him. That's when he shot her in the back.
According to prosecutors, the woman who drove Deering to the scene also was pregnant with his child. The woman said Deering was short of breath when he returned to the car, which was parked down the street from Jones' house, but he didn't say anything about shooting Jones. Police said, when she was questioned by detectives, she denied knowing why he was going to Jones' house, and didn't know what he had done until a few days later.
Police confirmed Deering had been taken into custody once before on Oct. 13, but was released without charges, because detectives did not have enough evidence at the time. He was arrested again on Wednesday, after police were able to track the vehicle used to drive Deering to and from the crime scene.
"This horrific tragedy was not lost on our detectives. They pursued this case from every angle, and sought every lead through completion," CPD First Deputy Supt. Eric Carter said.
Police and prosecutors said it also appears Deering spray-painted the n-word and KKK on the side of Jones' apartment building, to try and throw detectives off the scent.
Prosecutors said a search of Deering's home turned up two cans of spray paint the same color as the graffiti at the scene.
Deering has no criminal record, according to Deenihan.
"Unfortunately, he chose to do this, and now he has to suffer those consequences," Deenihan said.
Deenihan said Jones had two other children, but Deering is not their father.
