Peoria teen indicted for RICO and attempted murder charges
Marshawn L. Smith had been charged last fall in the juvenile division of Peoria County Circuit Court for RICO violations, attempted first-degree murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm.
Prosecutors allege he was a member of a group known as the Snakes which alleged to have committed several violent acts on Peoria's streets.
He had been 17 at the time and prosecutors almost immediately sought to move the case to the adult felony division.
Transfer hearings are akin to a mini-trial in that a judge must weigh many factors, including a youth's childhood, what services he might have already received from juvenile probation officers as a way to rehabilitate himself, and the actual nature of the crime itself.
The transfer to adult court mirrors another youth, Chavez L. Allen, also 18, whose case was transferred last week. He too faces a RICO violation count as well as an unlawful use of a weapon charge. During a brief hearing Tuesday, Allen was ordered held pending the outcome of his case.
For both, the RICO allegations state they were involved with the group from July 2022 until June 2024 and that people died as a result of the group's interactions.
Last October, State's Attorney Jodi Hoos charged 10 people, four adults and six minors, under the state's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The charges allege the 10 were members of the 'Snakes' street gang, which her office said is linked to a 'rash of violence that has plagued the area.'
The other four juveniles still have their transfer petitions pending in juvenile court, which is closed to the general public.
Police allege the gang was linked to at least three murders and 12 shootings. Also, 18 guns were seized, four of which were equipped with a 'switch' that converts the gun into a fully automatic weapon.
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