Treja Kelley testified during her cousin’s murder trial a few months ago, and her family’s worst fears came true.
The pregnant 18-year-old Chicago native died after a gunman came up to her and shot her five times on the sidewalk by her home. In court last week, Cook County prosecutors alleged that Kavarian Rogers, 21, accepted $5,000 to Kill Kelley and keep her silent, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.
On his Facebook, Rogers uploaded videos after the murder in which he showed off pricey shoes and used $100 bills to fan himself, reports the Associated Press. He allegedly told others he’d earned the money for “nailing a girl who testified against somebody,” according to a statement prosecutors read in court, according to ABC7 Chicago.
Charged with first-degree murder, Rogers was held last Thursday without bond in Cook County jail. A friend walking with Kelley at the time of the shooting said they were a half block from Kelley’s home, with Kelley talking on her cell phone to her boyfriend when they both noticed someone in a baby blue hoodie in the alley. “The next thing I know he pulls a gun out,” the friend told the Chicago Tribune. “We’re close, I mean five feet away,” said the friend, whose name was not published by the outlet to protect her identity. “I could see his face. There was no arguing. He shoots at her. … He shoots at me two times but I was already gone. I hid.”
Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family.
