Crime & Safety

Judge Wants 2011 Jewelry Store Stickup Case Done By July

The judge for a 2011 armed robbery case said the trial will start in July if a deal isn't done.

By Joseph Hosey

A month ago, the judge in a jewelry store stickup case said that if a deal wasn't done by June 18 she was starting the trial.

June 18 came, there was no deal in place, and Cook County Judge Colleen Hyland set a new deadline for attorneys to broker a plea or take the case to trial.

The new drop dead date for 33-year-old alleged armed robber Antoine Kelly is July 2.

Kelly is the last of four men remaining in the Cook County Jail following their arrests for allegedly robbing Jewelry Gems & Design in October 2011. Kelly's co-defendants—Charles Harper, 39, Darrin Carter, 34, and Lance Vaughn, 33—have all pleaded guilty. Harper got 22 years in prison, Carter was sentenced to 16 years and Vaughn got 13.

Kelly's part in the heist was to pose as a Jewelry Gems & Design customer along with Harper, police said. The pair reportedly asked to see engagement rings, and then Harper whipped out a handgun and threatened the store owner and an employee.

Kelly and Harper proceeded to bind their victims' hands with duct tape before letting Carter into the store, police said. Carter helped with grabbing jewelry and hauling it out to two getaway cars. Vaughn kept a lookout from one of the cars.

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