CHICAGO (CBS) – The fast food worker accused of killing two customers at a South Side restaurant where he worked earlier this month, appeared in court Tuesday.
Emotions ran high and tears came from the victims’ families, who said the men were targeted because they appeared homeless.
Friends and family of the victims said they hoped for justice as they returned to the scene of the crime at the JJ Fish and Chicken in the Wrightwood neighborhood on the Southwest Side. They went there hours after confronting Mehdi Medellel, 42, the man accused of what is being described as an execution-style double murder.
“It was very difficult,” said Clifton Williams, brother of victim Paul Williams. “I shed a few tears when I was inside. All the expectations and all the attention surrounding this particular case made me a little desperate.”
Clifton Williams said Paul, his older brother, was a hustler who sold goods on the street and he believes his brother was doing so at the restaurant earlier this month when he was shot.
The suspect then allegedly pointed the gun at the second customer, David Swick, as he sat nearby.
“David was such a good guy that he would go out and buy meals for other people in his community wherever he slept,” said Robert Groszek, an attorney for Swick’s family.
After the suspect appeared in court, the victims’ families, including Swick’s three daughters, united. Some said they believe their loved ones were targeted because they were homeless.
Swick’s family said they were in contact with him and hoped to help him get back on his feet.
Clifton added that his brother was already in housing. He had accepted an offer to live in a family property the month before he was killed.
“Very gentle, got along with most people,” Williams said of his brother. “He loved to laugh. He loved to laugh, so he was a good guy.”
Paul Williams’ funeral is scheduled for November 4. Medellel, the suspect, is due back in court on November 13. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
