GUILTY, GUILTY: Maggio Convicted In Murders Of Lockport Mom, Baby

JOLIET — A Will County jury of 12 citizens returned verdicts of guilty on both counts in the Lockport double first-degree murder trial of Anthony Maggio. The Will County State's Attorney's Office prosecution team consisted of Christopher Koch, James Zanayad and Ashley Kwasneski.

"My daughter is finally going to have justice along with my granddaughter, finally, after four years, " remarked Shirley Onderisin, 65, of Lockport, outside the Will County Courthouse during a Joliet Patch Facebook Live interview. "We're so happy, not happy because they're gone, but finally, anyway, justice is served and I want to thank the Lockport police. They were a terrific part of this. I put my trust in them a lot."

On Thursday, the jury deliberated from noon to 10 p.m. without reaching a unanimous decision. On Friday, the jury resumed deliberations at 9 a.m. and the verdict was read around 2:30 p.m. In addition to being represented by Chicago criminal defense attorney Michael Clancy, Maggio's defense team also included Margaret V. McQuaid of the Law Office of Margaret V. McQuaid.

"I was very worried, very worried," Onderisin told Joliet Patch. "But the evidence was there. I did a lot of praying." As far as the Lockport police detectives, "They always kept in contact with me. And with them and the prosecution team, they were really good ... I did a lot of praying."

Maggio's sentencing was set for late December.

"You know, he's going to suffer for a while, and I'm going to suffer until I die," Onderisin said. "Because my babies will never be here with me again. But his dad can go visit him."

As far as the murders of the Lockport woman's adult daughter and baby granddaughter, "Why? Why?" Onderisin asked. "It was so senseless. I mean, why did he do this? He could have been living a good life. We all could have been living a good life. Now he's got to sit in prison for the rest of his and I don't have my babies..."

The former paramedic at the Joliet Amazon warehouse stood trial these past two weeks in the courtroom of Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak for the Oct. 2, 2020 slayings of infant Hazel Bryant and Hazel's mother, Ashtin Eaton.

The mother and little girl were found dead on inside their apartment near downtown Lockport in the 900 block of Hamilton Street. Eaton died of strangulation, and Hazel was found smothered on her mother's bed.

Maggio was Hazel's father, and he and Eaton had carried out a romance after meeting at Amazon, where they worked together. Eaton was divorced, and she had another daughter, Jessica, who was 11 years old when her mother and baby sister were killed. Jessica, who was in sixth grade at the time, was not harmed by the assailant.

The Will County State's Office led by prosecutor Christopher Koch argued that Maggio killed Eaton and his little girl to avoid being required to make court-ordered child support payments to the divorced Lockport mother.

At the time of the slayings, Maggio lived in Crestwood with his fiancee and they have two small girls. By all accounts, Maggio's criminal defense lawyer Michael Clancey told the jury, Maggio had disowned Hazel. Clancy ejected the prosecution's theory that Maggio killed the Lockport woman and their child over a dispute about child support payments.

Evidence presented by the prosecution showed that Maggio's DNA was found underneath both sets of fingernail clippings taken from Eaton at the time of her autopsy. Maggio's DNA was also found on the handle of the box cutter knife left near Eaton's slain body on her kitchen floor. Maggio's DNA was also found near the collar of Eaton's T-shirt at the time of her homicide.

Clancy argued that Maggio was home, sleeping in bed with his fiancé, in Crestwood, 30 minutes away from Lockport, on the night of the slayings. Clancy reminded the jury that the Lockport Police Department was unable to find any eyewitnesses, neighbors of Eato, or any video surveillance cameras obtained from local businesses or any of the suburban license plate reader video technology that would have put his client's car or Maggio's fiancée's car in Lockport around the time of the murders.

Evidence reviewed by Lockport police indicated that Maggio's cell phone remained in Crestwood during the night of the killings.

The jury reached its verdict Friday afternoon after deliberating nearly 16 hours.

Maggio will be sentenced on Dec. 19.

Patch spoke with Eaton's family outside the Will County Courthouse after the verdict was read.

Related coverage:

• Joliet Amazon Paramedic's DNA Found On Lockport Murder Victim's Body
• Lockport Murders: Maggio's DNA On 3 Items At Crime Scene
• Lockport Murders: Mom Was Blocked On Snapchat Before Her Killing
• Juror Collapses As Autopsy Photos Of Lockport Mom Shown In Trial
• Lockport Mom, Baby Hazel Killed Over Child Support: Prosecutors
• Was Maggio Asleep When Lockport Murders Happened? Fiancee Testifies
• Amazon Worker Offered $10K To Make Woman Disappear Before Murder: Koch