Joliet Halloween Massacre Defendant Wants To Act As Own Lawyer

JOLIET — Although the entire court proceedings for Plainfield hate crime killer Joseph Czuba were completed in 16 months, the overwhelming majority of Joliet and Will County murder cases take a lot longer. One prime example is Joliet's 2021 Halloween party massacre that happened at 1018 E. Jackson St., at a house party attended by roughly 200 people. Two innocent bystanders, Jonathan Ceballos and Holly Mathews, were both killed by the gunfire.

For three years and two months, Joskar Ramos and two co-defendants, brothers Thomas and Jeremy Lopez, have remained in the Will County Jail facing multiple counts of first-degree murder. Their cases are moving slowly inside the Will County Courthouse; no trials are on the horizon, and now Ramos has taken legal steps to essentially start his criminal case all over.

In February, Will County Judge Vincent Cornelius granted Ramos' motion, entitled waiver of Sixth Amendment Right To Counsel. The judge allowed Ramos, who is now 21 years old, to get rid of Andrew Sanchez of the Will County Public's Defender's Office as his defense counsel.

The Joliet Township multiple first-degree murder defendant informed the judge that he wants to be his own counsel.

"Defendant Joskar Ramos respectfully ask (sic) the court to allow him to his right to counsel and proceed in this matter as a self-represented litigant. Defendant is prayerful his request is granted."

Judge Cornelius answered the defendant's prayer, and informed the Will County Public's Office that they are out of the case as Ramos' lawyer. Meanwhile, Ramos has submitted a voluminous request to the judge asking for access to all kinds of police reports, interrogation recordings and social media videos obtained by the Will County Sheriff's police as part of their investigation. Ramos has also asked for access to all the news stories reported in the press about his case.

Now that Ramos is serving as his own defense counsel, his next pretrial hearing in Courtroom 404 is set for April 16.

Will County Sheriff's detectives consider Ramos the prime suspect responsible for the mass murders. In 2021, Ramos had just turned 18 years old, and he had been involved in a shooting in the city of Joliet several months earlier, according to authorities.

Ramos came from Joliet's west side, the 900 block of Gael Drive, near Black Road, and Will County Sheriff's police recovered a gun from the roof of the Ramos apartment at the time of their search warrant in November 2021.

A year after the Halloween party shootings, Joliet gang member Sergio Hernandez of his injuries after being paralyzed by the bullets during the gunfire at 1018 East Jackson St.

Here's a recap of several noteworthy Joliet Patch stories about the case since 2021:

12 Joliet Murder Charges Filed In Halloween Party Killings

October 2024:

The Will County Sheriff's Office issued a press advisory revealing that there are now four people facing first-degree murder charges for the mass killings that happened at an east side Halloween party on East Jackson Street.

David A. Grijalva, 23, now faces first-degree murder charges stemming from his involvement in the 2021 Halloween mass shooting that occurred in Joliet Township, authorities said.

The Will County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Marshals Service apprehended David Grijalva at his place of employment in Channahon without incident. David is charged with 12 counts of first-degree murder, five counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, and one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

Paralyzed Latin King's Death: Triple Murder Charges Filed In Joliet

February 2023:

As the Will County Sheriff's Office anticipated, more first-degree murder charges were filed against Joliet Vice Lords Joskar Ramos and the Lopez brothers, Thomas and Jeremy, following the Oct. 30, 2022, death of paralyzed Joliet shooting victim, Sergio Hernandez, 20.

Hernandez died at a nursing care facility in nearby DuPage County, just one day before the anniversary of the Joliet Township shooting spree.

Target Of Halloween Party Shooting Dies 1 Year Later

October 2022:

On the same weekend as the one-year anniversary of Joliet's worst mass shooting in recent memory, Sergio Hernandez, the Joliet Latin King street gang member who was left paralyzed at the backyard party on East Jackson Street in Joliet Township. He was 20 years old.

Joliet Patch previously reported that Hernandez was the shooting target of rival Vice Lord gang members at the Halloween party, according to Will County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Dan Jungles.

18 Murder Charges In Joliet Halloween Party Mass Shootings

January 2022:

Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley announced that murder charges were filed against 18-year-old Ramos, 21-year-old Thomas Lopez and Lopez's 19-year-old brother Jeremy Lopez. The three were charged in the Halloween party mass shooting that happened during the early morning hours of Oct. 31 at 1018 East Jackson St.

The east-side of Joliet shootings killed Holly Mathews and Jonathan Ceballos, and left several others seriously injured. Bail for Ramos and the two Lopez brothers was set at $10 million each by Will County Judge Dave Carlson.

“This was a true team effort by everyone at the Will County Sheriff’s Office that helped play a part in this investigation," Kelley said in his press release. "This tragic incident could not have been solved without the help of the public, so I want to thank those that came forward with information. Every member within the Criminal Investigations Division at the Will County Sheriff’s Office have worked tirelessly for months, in conjunction with the State’s Attorney’s Office to help bring these thugs to justice. Now that these criminals are behind bars, Will County is now safer than it was the day before."