(The Center Square) – The Cook County State’s Attorney’s office faces questions from the family of a woman who was stabbed to death at work by a man who had been released from jail days earlier.
On the morning of Sept. 6, 18-year-old Sincere Williams allegedly entered a Chicago Walgreens and stabbed Olga Maria Calderon. Calderon had been stocking shelves before the attack, Chicago Police said. Williams has been charged with first-degree murder.
Days before the stabbing, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office had the chance to object to Williams’ release from electronic monitoring on an unrelated charge for the theft of more than a dozen firearms from a gun shop but did not, according to attorneys representing Calderon and Foxx’s opponent in her re-election campaign, Judge Pat O’Brien.
“Kim Foxx cannot be permitted to conceal the actions of her office in a case in which an innocent woman was slaughtered in her workplace by a violent, unsupervised defendant,” O’Brien said. “The family of this victim and the public deserve to know how this could have happened and exactly how the State’s Attorney handled this case.”
Attorneys representing Calderon’s family said they are seeking justice for her two young children and fiancé.
“We are examining all events leading up to this tragedy and are considering every legal option in order to hold all responsible parties accountable,” said attorney Frank Sommario, a partner at Romanucci & Blandin.
Foxx had previously come under fire from Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Police officials for not detaining looters who had been arrested during riots that took place alongside peaceful protests tied to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Foxx’s campaign has yet to respond to emails about the allegations.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Calderon’s fiancé spoke about Williams’ release.
“Our family has been devastated by this tragedy which, from everything we know, seems like it could have been prevented. We need to make sure those who are responsible are brought to justice in Olga’s name,” said Israel Alvarado, fiancé of Olga Maria Calderon.
