Darreon Plummer, a 33-year-old man accused of shooting and killing Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) employee Da’J Flowers, was ordered held in jail without pretrial release by a Cook County judge on Friday, according to court proceedings and prosecutors. Flowers, a 36-year-old senior administrative assistant, was found dead on the morning of February 6 inside her second-floor condominium on the 6900 block of North Bell Avenue.
Charges and Court Appearance
Plummer faces a first-degree murder charge in connection with the fatal shooting, according to court documents cited by WGN. Following a nearly seven-month search that investigators said involved Plummer fleeing to Washington state and adopting a false identity, he was taken into custody, extradited to Illinois, and made his first appearance in Cook County court on Friday. Prosecutors argued, and the judge agreed, that Plummer poses a danger to the community and represents a flight risk, resulting in an order for his detention pending trial.
Investigation and Evidence
According to court documents and prosecutors, investigators recovered a 9mm Ruger semiautomatic handgun from a pile of clothing belonging to Plummer inside the victim’s apartment. Ballistics testing subsequently confirmed that the casings and projectiles recovered from the scene were fired from that specific weapon. Prosecutors noted that the handgun was equipped with a 16-round magazine and contained DNA profiles matching both the victim, as a 20% contributor, and the suspect, as a 60% contributor. Plummer’s DNA profile matched an existing entry in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). Chicago Police Department Area Three detectives built the case using this forensic evidence alongside private and city surveillance video, cell phone records, and witness interviews.
Relationship History and Timeline
Court documents reveal that during their relationship, Flowers had disclosed to family members and colleagues that Plummer was physically abusive, citing past incidents where he allegedly choked her, hit her, and threw her to the ground. Prosecutors stated that on the morning of February 5, Flowers went to work and engaged in text message conversations with Plummer, during which he accused her of stealing money from him. Coworkers observed that she was visibly upset while speaking to Plummer on the phone about money. Flowers left work at approximately 3 p.m. and returned home. At 7:28 p.m., she sent a text message to a family member stating her plan to leave Plummer, but did not reply when asked what happened. Minutes later, at 7:33 p.m., private surveillance video from a nearby alley captured the sound of 16 gunshots, while a neighbor called 911 after hearing gunfire, a female voice yelling for help, and struggling breaths. Responding officers checked the apartment that night but received no response, and Flowers’ body was discovered the next morning when coworkers requested a well-being check after she failed to arrive at work.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, support is available. You can reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-7233 or by texting “START” to 88788.
Worth a look