Venezuelan migrant charged in Loyola student's killing enters plea
Loyola student murder suspect held in custody
A Venezuelan migrant accused of killing a Loyola University freshman appeared in court Friday and was ordered to remain in custody.
CHICAGO - A Venezuelan migrant accused of killing a Loyola University freshman on a Chicago lakefront pier pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday to more than a dozen felony counts, including first-degree murder.
What we know:
Jose Medina, 25, allegedly shot and killed 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman on March 19 near Tobey Prinz Beach in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood.
(From left) Pictured is Jose Medina and Sheridan Gorman. (FOX Chicago)
According to court documents, Gorman and three friends were near the lakefront and walked onto a pier with a lighthouse at the end. Prosecutors said Medina had already gone to the end of the pier and was behind the lighthouse.
Gorman, who was walking ahead of the group, reached the lighthouse first. When she looked to the other side, she was startled by Medina, court records state. She returned to her friends and told them a man was behind the structure.
Medina then emerged from behind the lighthouse wearing black clothing and a mask and holding a gun, according to court documents.
As Gorman and her friends ran toward the beach, Medina fired once, striking Gorman in the upper back, authorities said.
Her friends continued running to the beach, hid and called police. While hiding, they reported seeing Medina pacing on the pier.
After he left, they returned to Gorman, who was found bleeding and unresponsive a few feet from the lighthouse. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Investigators said witness accounts, surveillance video and forensic evidence helped identify Medina, who was later arrested at an apartment building on North Sheridan Road.
Medina is charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a firearm.
He has also been federally charged with illegal possession of a firearm after investigators say he had a handgun the day after the killing.
According to a criminal complaint, Chicago police discovered the weapon on March 20 during a court-authorized search of his Rogers Park residence. The search was part of the murder investigation.
Medina, who also goes by several aliases, is a citizen of Venezuela and does not have legal status in the United States, which authorities say makes it illegal for him to possess a firearm.
What we don't know:
It remains unclear why Medina allegedly opened fire on Gorman.
What they're saying:
Last month, a judge ordered Medina to remain in custody pending trial. Following that court appearance, the Gorman family released a statement.
"Today was another day that no family should ever have to endure.
"We sat in a courtroom and listened as the person accused of taking Sheridan’s life was described through the lens of his background, his circumstances, and his struggles. We heard a call for compassion.
"And we understand that instinct. Every life has a story.
"But we cannot lose sight of the simple, devastating truth at the center of all of this:
"Sheridan had a life too.
"There is a difference between understanding a life and excusing a loss.
"Even a child knows the difference between right and wrong.
"She was 18 years old. She was exactly where she was supposed to be—living her life, surrounded by friends, doing something entirely normal. There was nothing reckless, nothing unusual, nothing that should have placed her in danger.
"And yet, she is gone.
"That is the reality we are forced to confront. And nothing said in that courtroom changes it.
"There were moments today when the focus turned toward understanding the life of the accused. We do not reject the idea that people deserve to be seen in full. But there is a line that must be respected.
"Compassion cannot replace accountability.
"We also listened to a painful recounting of the last moments of our daughter’s life—and of the accused returning home to his mother. That is something Sheridan will never do again.
"That is the fact that cannot be softened, reframed, or explained away.
"And when a life is taken—when a future is erased—there must be clarity about that difference.
"Sheridan’s life was not a circumstance. It was a future. And it was taken from her, from us, and from everyone who loved her.
"We are grateful that the Court recognized the seriousness of this case and ordered that the defendant be detained. That decision reflects what this moment demands: seriousness, clarity, and respect for the gravity of what has happened.
"Sheridan was doing something completely ordinary—something any parent would expect their child to be able to do safely. And yet, she is not here. That is what we carry with us today.
"And that is what must stay at the center of this case.
"But detention is not justice.
"It is only the beginning of a process that must fully account for what was done—and for what was lost.
"What we heard today forces a broader question that cannot be ignored:
"How does something like this happen in a place where a young woman should have been safe?
"That is not a political question. It is a human one.
"Because if we allow ourselves to accept this as inevitable—as something that simply happens—then we are accepting a world where young people cannot safely live their lives in the most ordinary ways.
"That is a standard no family should be asked to accept.
"This is about refusing to normalize the kind of loss that has been forced upon our family. It is about insisting that lives like Sheridan’s—full of promise, full of possibility—are protected with the seriousness they deserve.
"We will continue to pursue justice for Sheridan—fully, firmly, and through the process that lies ahead.
"Because justice, in this case, is not abstract.
"It is accountability.
"It is truth.
"And it is recognition—clear and unwavering—of the value of the life that was taken.
"Sheridan was not a case. She was not a headline. She was our daughter. She was our family. And she mattered.
"And we will not allow her life—or her loss—to be treated as anything less."
Dig deeper:
According to ICE, Medina was previously in custody and later released on May 9, 2023, as well as on June 19, 2023, after being arrested for shoplifting in Chicago.
"Sheridan Gorman had her whole life ahead of her before this cold-blooded killer decided to end her life. She was failed by open border policies and sanctuary politicians who RELEASED this illegal alien TWICE before he went on to commit this heinous murder," Department of Homeland Security Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement.
President Donald Trump called Gorman's death "devastating" and blamed the immigration policies of former President Joe Biden. He also called Medina an "animal."
"This person came in through the open-door policy of Joe Biden, and we're taking them out by the tens of thousands," he said. "It's a shame. They've hurt our country."
Loyola student’s killing sparks political fallout, policy debate in Chicago
After the death of Sheridan Gorman, city leaders react as pressure mounts on Mayor Brandon Johnson and the City Council over public safety and Chicago’s sanctuary city policies.
Gov. JB Pritzker also commented on Gorman's killing.
"Sheridan Gorman's murder is a tragedy — and the person responsible must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law," Pritzker said. "My deepest condolences to the family, friends, and Loyola University community grieving this devastating loss."
Pritzker also pointed fingers at the Trump administration.
"I know that the Gorman family has suffered mightily," Pritzker said. "I agree. There have been real failures. Those failures, of course, extend beyond the borders of Illinois. There [are] national failures, a failure to have comprehensive immigration reform, a failure of the president to follow his own edict to go after the worst of the worst."
He added, "and in my view, we have a lot of work that we need to continue to do, but it is the job of the federal government to go after immigration enforcement, and it is the job of our local and state law enforcement to prosecute, or to catch violent criminals and prosecute them, and we should continue to do that, both on the state level and national level."
Illinois state Republican lawmakers laid the blame for the killing solely at the feet of Pritzker and Democrats, claiming they've strengthened protections for undocumented immigrants, making such alleged crimes possible. They said the state should stop at nothing short of abolishing such sanctuary state protections.
What's next:
Medina is due back in court on June 1.
The Source: The information in this story came from court documents, Chicago police, a family statement, and federal officials.