'I'm Dead': Joliet Woman Reported Previous Attacks By Man Charged In Her Slaying

JOLIET, IL — The 40-year-old Joliet woman who was fatally shot in her home last week had an order of protective custody out against the man who now faces first-degree murder and other criminal charges in connection with the home invasion, according to court documents.

Willie Banks, 47, South Chicago Heights, was arrested and charged on Friday after being released from Ascension St. Joseph’s Hospital, two days after police said that he shot and killed Alicia Cole inside her home in the 1100 block of Westshire Drive.

Banks was chargedwith three counts of murder, home invasion, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, and two counts of violation of his bail/bond. Police previously told Patch that Banks and Cole had been in a dating relationship, but court documents also outline a history of violence involving the couple, which includes threats of Banks telling Cole he would kill her.

In the petition for the denial of pretrial release obtained by Patch on Monday, prosecutors said that Banks had previously been ordered not to have contact with Cole, who in May identified Banks as “her spouse” and said she was requesting an order of protection stemming from a March 25 incident.

In that incident, court documents indicate that Cole alleged that Banks had been drinking and became so enraged that he forced Cole to eat cat food, which he forced into her mouth. Cole also alleged that Banks threw her smartwatch into the toilet and grabbed her arm so forcefully that she sustained bruising on parts of her body.

Court documents show that Cole was able to leave the home and go to a hotel after the incident in March. The next day, however, while attempting to have the locks changed on her house, Cole said that Banks arrived and took her into a bedroom and threatened to kill her, the locksmith and her family. She also alleges that Banks was pointing a red laser at her head and that he slapped her after she called the police.

In a previous petition for an order of protection, Cole said that they were in a dating relationship and in 2022, Banks had assaulted her and had struck her in the head with a cell phone, court documents show. She also alleges that Banks had taken her cell phone and refused to allow her to use it until the next day, after Banks had “sobered up” and allowed her to seek medical attention for her injuries.

Last week, officers were called to Cole’s home on Westshire Drive after she dialed 911. Court documents say she was yelling “please stop” and told dispatchers that "he (Banks) broke my window," as well as saying that someone had broken into her home.

Court documents indicate that on the open line, dispatchers could hear gunshots being fired and the victim screaming. After the gunshots ended, documents said dispatchers heard the victim say, "I'm dead."

Officers arrived to find windows in the front and back of the home shattered and found Banks standing in the living room, the petition states. Banks told police that he had shot his spouse, saying, "Yeah, I shot her."

The petition states that police found a bullet hole in the door frame of the front entrance and found blood droplets in the carpet leading from the living room to the hallway. The blood continued on the carpet to the bathroom, where police found Cole shot multiple times and lying unresponsive in the bathroom.

The petition said that Cole had cardiomegaly, or an enlarged heart, and lung disease, and was on oxygen at the time of her death.

Police found a large amount of blood near Cole’s body, along with an unknown smartphone that was near her body, the petition states. Police did not find a gun near the victim’s body but said that blood droplets continued into a bedroom, where officers found a handgun underneath the bed.

Banks was taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries he sustained breaking a window. The petition states that Banks told a police officer that his 7-year-old daughter had been stabbed to death by the girl’s mother, who was identified as Hazel Ivy. Banks told the police said Ivy had killed the girl after finding out that Banks was involved in an affair with Cole, the petition states. News reports from Galesburg, Illinois, show that 7-year-old Willow Banks was killed by her mother in January 2021, and the mother was subsequently sentenced to 53 years in prison.

In video captured on an officer’s body-worn camera, Banks admitted to police that he “just did some diabolical s-----” and that just after 1 a.m. on Thursday asked if his wife had passed, the petition states.

In addition to the charges stemming from the fatal shooting, court documents show that Banks has a pending Will County case in which he is charged with multiple felony and misdemeanor charges, including unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and aggravated assault and domestic battery. That incident, which took place in March, is said to have involved Cole.

Banks previously served time in prison and was arrested last week after police found a key to a gray Silverado, which was parked in front of Cole’s home after the shooting. Police found eight spent shell casings in the home, along with an empty nine-round capacity magazine, which was found under the bed in Cole’s bedroom.

Patch reported on Friday that Banks' arrest marks the fourth time he has been arrested in Will County this year.