Two men have been ordered held without bond and another is being held on $500,000 bond in connection with a pair of violent home invasions in suburban DuPage County last week.
According to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s office, Malik Pitts, 22, and Isaiah Johnson, 21, were both denied bond after a hearing with Judge Timothy McJoynt Sunday morning. The judge then ordered a $500,000 bond for Keytori Jackson, 22, during the same hearing.
All three men face felony charges of attempted murder, home invasion and aggravated battery, according to the states’ attorney’s office.
According to police, the three men broke into a house in the 1700 block of East Evergreen Street in Wheaton in the early morning hours of Aug. 23.
The homeowners, hearing noises in the backyard, exited the back door, leaving it unlocked. When they walked into the yard, they allegedly saw Pitts and Johnson standing near the home. Johnson then allegedly pointed a gun at the residents, with Pitts entering the home.
After Johnson allegedly ordered the residents to walk to the rear of the house, Pitts allegedly entered a bedroom where two young girls and their grandmother were sleeping. He then allegedly attempted to pull down the blanket and the shorts of one of the girls in the bedroom.
At this point, the girls’ grandmother woke up and spoke to Pitts. He responded by allegedly punching her in the left cheek, ear, and neck. The father of the two girls then entered the room and physically confronted Pitts, and the two suspects in the case fled the scene in a stolen car, allegedly driven by Jackson.
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Approximately 18 minutes after receiving the first 911 call, authorities in suburban Lombard responded to a call in the 400 block of South Highland Avenue.
According to police, a male homeowner awoke to find Pitts and Johnson standing in his living room, with Johnson allegedly waving a gun at him and asking “where’s the money?”
In a similar act to the one he allegedly perpetrated earlier in the morning, Pitts entered a bedroom where a mother and her young daughter were sleeping. It is alleged Pitts then ordered the girl to the basement of the home and ordered her to undress.
When the girl refused and fled, Pitts and the girl’s father became engaged in a physical altercation. During that struggle, Johnson allegedly fired gunshots at the father, striking him in the chest. Police believe that bullet went through the man’s chest and then hit Pitts as well.
The three suspects then allegedly fled the scene.
According to the states’ attorney’s office, the DuPage County Crime Laboratory quickly gathered evidence and identified the three suspects, and all three have since been apprehended.
“The conduct alleged in these charges is shockingly violent and demonstrates a complete disregard for our laws and for human life,” DuPage County States Attorney Robert Berlin said. “The victims in this case had every right to feel safe in their own home, the one place everyone should feel safe, and that sense of safety has now been shattered.”
All three men are being held in custody of the DuPage County Sheriff’s Department, and will next appear in court on Sept. 28 for arraignment.
NBC 5 has not been able to independently verify accounts of the incidents alleged in the documents charging the three men.
