An Illinois man was taken into custody after allegedly shooting his former girlfriend in a disturbing attempt to convince his current partner of his devotion.
Illinois man shot ex-girlfriend in the feet
Authorities confirmed that 23-year-old Jaquon L. Timothy was arrested and charged with one count of aggravated battery with a firearm.
“Timothy was charged last week in connection with the July shooting of his ex-girlfriend, which was allegedly carried out as a way to prove his love to his new girlfriend,” the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
Officers with the City of Peoria Police Department reportedly responded around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 19, after reports of gunfire in the 2300 block of West Starr Street in South Peoria.
At the scene, law enforcement discovered the victim that had gunshot wounds to her feet.
Authorities revealed the woman, who was not identified, was Timothy’s ex-girlfriend.
She was rushed to a nearby hospital and admitted with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Peoria Police spokesperson Semone Roth confirmed that the victim had been shot in both feet.
Illinois man confessed to current boyfriend
Investigators later spoke with Timothy’s current girlfriend, reportedly said that he had told her that “he would shoot his ex-girlfriend.”
The woman also said that after the attack Timothy admitted he had followed through.
Detectives obtained a warrant for Timothy’s phone, where they allegedly discovered a text message in which he claimed responsibility for the attack.
Timothy was ultimately arrested on Thursday, September 18. He appeared the next day and was ordered that he remain in custody without bond.
The Illinois man has already served time in prison after he robbed a firearm shop of nine guns in 2020.
Two years later, he pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to steal and possess firearms from a licensed dealer, stealing from a federal firearms licensee, and possession of a stolen weapon.
He served a two-year federal sentence, followed by three years of supervised release.
While Illinois authorities pursued charges against Timothy, officials in Virginia confronted a separate high-profile case.
Man claimed girlfriend shot herself
A Fairfax County man was convicted of killing his girlfriend after repeatedly changing his account of what happened.
Huy “Max” Nguyen, 47, was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of 38-year-old Alison “Kate” Laporta. He was also convicted of the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Nguyen and Laporta had been dating for around a year when the deadly incident occurred on April 17, 2024.
Laporta was shot in the upper body and transported by Nguyen to Inova Mount Vernon Hospital.
After being transferred to a different facility, she was pronounced dead.
Body camera footage from Fairfax County police showed officers confronting Nguyen at the hospital, with his hands raised as they searched him for weapons.
Nguyen initially claimed a stray bullet had struck Laporta while they were sitting in a parking lot in Annandale. “Detectives disproved that allegation,” police later announced.
Investigators determined that Nguyen shot Laporta inside the vehicle he used to take her to the hospital. Officers later recovered the firearm near Nguyen’s residence.
As the case proceeded, Nguyen’s story shifted again. He eventually alleged that Laporta had tried to shoot at him and ended up killing herself.
His defense attorneys introduced medical records alleging that Laporta had a mental health crisis in 2022.
Prosecutors countered these claims, calling witnesses who had seen the couple at a pool hall earlier that day.
“The only way this argument ends is with a bullet,” one witness recalled Nguyen saying. Another quoted him declaring, “I’m going to shoot this girl.”
Investigators said four bullet casings were discovered on the driver’s side of the SUV where Laporta was shot. Additional casings were discovered in her purse and the back seat.
The Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office released a statement following the verdict.
“Evidence presented at trial, including the trajectory of the bullet and a photo of the firearm’s imprint on Kate’s seatbelt, showed that Mr. Nguyen was the one who pulled the trigger while they were both seated in Kate’s car.”
Nguyen is scheduled for sentencing in February. He faces up to 40 years in prison under Virginia law for the second-degree murder conviction.
