‘They had him. They had the weapon.’ Five years after her brother’s murder, one Chicago woman surprisingly learns justice will never come.

CHICAGO (CBS) — 2017 was a merciless yr for Tina Lyles. That June, she mentioned, “Someone called me and told me something had happened to Quinton,” Quinton Flowers was her 19-year-old son. He was an aspiring musician. She adopted him when he was simply 4 years outdated.

That day in 2017 she acquired a cellphone name and discovered he had been shot, not removed from dwelling. “One of our neighbors performed CPR and brought him back,” she described what occurred by means of tears.

Tina mentioned goodbye to Quinton quickly after that cellphone name in the hospital. “He had a horrified look on his face, that I never have seen. He looked horrified. We all told him that we loved him and then we let him go.”

As the following days grew into weeks and months – Tina had to remain sturdy to maintain her household collectively. Quinton and his older brother, Moncreef Miller have been shut, she mentioned. “Quinton gave Moncreef an opportunity to be a big brother. He hadn’t been a big brother ever, being the youngest of my biological kids.”

That’s why Quinton’s homicide hit Moncreef particularly exhausting. “It really did something to him; it broke something in him. All the rest of the [family], had eight kids at the time, were pretty torn up.”

A number of months later, Moncreef grew to become a dad. “This is Moncreef in the hospital when he saw his baby for the first time. Had a big smile.”

Shortly after the start of his daughter, Moncreef was additionally shot and killed, just a few blocks from the place Quinton was gunned down. Another devastating loss for Tina. “I said, no, not again. You gotta be kidding me. Not again. “

That’s two sons Tina misplaced to gun violence inside six months of one another.

But the brothers have been simply two of the 660 homicides in Chicago that yr.

Arrest charges have various over the years since Quinton and Moncreef have been shot and killed – from a low of 20% in 2017 to a excessive of 37% to this point this yr.

That means there are nonetheless many extra moms like Tina on the market questioning when a killer will be caught. Over the years, she tried to remain in contact with police, “If we find out anything, we’ll give you a call. I never got a call.”

She has turned to remedy to assist with the ache and loss, to a gaggle known as Chicago Survivors. The nonprofit offers counseling and assist companies to households of murder victims. It additionally offers coaching to companies that cope with victims’ family corresponding to legislation enforcement, health worker, and hospital workers to reply to households with extra compassion.

JaShawn Hill is Director of Clinical Services for Chicago Survivors. She’s properly conscious of Chicago’s low arrest charge, “Which sends a message to the community that if you harm somebody with violence, especially homicide, you get away with murder.”

Are individuals getting away with homicide in Chicago? Tracking the reply is extra puzzling than you may suppose as a result of making an arrest is just one means the Chicago Police Department (CPD) says they’re completed investigating a criminal offense.

In 2021, the arrest charge for homicides was simply 24%, however the clearance charge – or the p.c of instances CPD closes – was 48%.

How is that doable? It’s one thing known as distinctive means. Police take credit score for clearing instances though justice for households is never served.

The similar yr that Quinton and Moncreef have been killed (2017), Anna Villada and her 15-year-old brother, Diego have been strolling down their Hermosa neighborhood alley to get lunch. Two males jumped them. “One of the dudes told Diego ‘Start running because this is the day that you die.'”

Anna mentioned Diego tried to get away however was shot in the head. “He ended up getting shot over there, but his killer was standing on that end,” she mentioned as she pointed to reverse instructions in the alley.

Anna mentioned she acquired have a look at the killer and described him to police. Then, she joined her household at the hospital to say goodbye. “I told him you can’t leave me. You really can’t leave me. You can’t leave me by myself. I get close to his face, and I tell him, if you want to go just go, I know you’re in pain. I don’t want to see you suffer like this. His machine started going off and I see tears coming down. So I told him, okay. I’m fine. I’ll let you go.”

Diego Villada died at the hospital two days after he was shot. Sitting by her brother’s bedside, Anna felt like an arrest would come quickly. “First in my head, was like, yeah, he’s gonna get justice. They have him. They have the weapon.”

Police did make an arrest in Diego’s case. But, in line with CPD data, this case was cleared in 2021. It was one of these distinctive instances as a result of prosecutors declined to cost the suspect.

Failure to file costs is simply one means CPD closes instances. They additionally think about the crime solved when the prime suspect is in jail in one other jurisdiction for one thing else and cannot be extradited. Also, when the prime suspect is useless, or police are unable to uncover sufficient proof. Sometimes instances are closed when police arrest the fallacious particular person.

More troubling CBS News’ information evaluation reveals this methodology is definitely rising. In Chicago, between 2017 and 2021, instances cleared exceptionally with no costs grew from 37% to 51%. More than half of all of the closed instances.

Loyola University Criminal Justice Professor Arthur Lurigio says arrest is just the first step in fixing a criminal offense and an absence of accountability perpetuates the cycle.

“That’s a critical mass of survivors of homicide victims that are never going to experience the justice that they deserve,” he mentioned.

For Anna and her household, it will get worse. They never knew Diego’s case was closed till we advised them. She mentioned it does not really feel like justice. “They just told us the same thing over and over. We’ll get back to you in a couple of weeks. We’ll get back to you. We’ll get back to you. His case is still open. We have everything we need. And for them to not even give us one phone call to tell us the case is closed. It’s sad.”

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (SAO) advised the CBS 2 Investigators costs have been rejected in Diego’s homicide in 2021 due to an absence of proof to prosecute.

Why are extra instances like Diego Villada’s being closed exceptionally? Why are fewer instances like Tina Lyles’ sons being solved with an arrest? We requested for sit-down interviews with each the SAO and CPD. Both refused. Instead, they pointed fingers at one another.

“There is something seriously broken and not just in this society, but with the system, the justice system,” mentioned Tina Lyles.

Leaving households ready for closure they will never get.

“My mom comes up to me and she hugged me. And she asked me what are we going to do now,” mentioned Anna Villada.

CPD identified that murder arrests are up to this point in 2022. The division mentioned good policing expertise has benefited their investigations, however finally charging choices are as much as the SAO. The SAO mentioned if there’s sufficient proof to approve costs then they do.

What we present in Chicago is a part of a CBS News Investigation into the causes for unsolved murders throughout the nation. This graph reveals nationwide murder clearance charges.

Complete protection of “Crime Without Punishment’ from our CBS stations across the country and CBS News is out there right here.