Joliet's Order Of Protection Murder In West Side Neighborhood: Jury Reaches Verdict

JOLIET, IL — A Will County jury returned guilty verdicts of first-degree murder this week against Joliet killer Willie Banks, who ended the life of Alicia Cole. The 40-year-old woman from Westshire Drive was the victim of multiple crimes of domestic violence. She obtained two orders of protection against Banks prior to being murdered.

During her final moments, Cole was on the phone with 911 as Banks ended her life, shooting her multiple times inside her home on Joliet's west side, near Ingalls Avenue and Larkin Avenue.

During the 911 call, Cole told 911 dispatchers, "I'm dead."

As for Banks, court documents show that he was already on electronic monitoring at the time of his Joliet murder on Dec. 13, 2023, at 1106 Westshire Drive. As a result of his pending Will County criminal cases, one of his bail conditions included the provision that Banks have no contact with Cole.

According to the court files, Banks was under the influence of alcohol, and he became so upset with her back in late March 2023 that he took their cat's food and put it in her mouth and forced her to eat it, then he threw her smartwatch in the toilet. Afterward, Cole stayed at a hotel and when she returned home to change her locks, Banks showed up and took her into the bedroom and told her he was going to kill her and the guy changing the locks as well as her family, court documents said.

The court files indicate that Cole withdrew her order of protection against Banks on May 3, 2023, seven months before she was murdered inside her own home.

Events Surrounding Alicia Cole's Murder Revealed: Joliet Police

According to Will County prosecutors, at 10:39 p.m. on Dec. 13, 2023, Joliet police were called to 1106 Westshire for a domestic and Cole was yelling, "please stop, he broke my window."

During the 911 call, dispatchers heard several gunshots and Cole was screaming. "I'm dead," Cole whispered, after the sound of gunshots ended.

Joliet police found windows to the house were shattered and Banks was in the living room. He had cuts and lacerations to his arm and was bleeding. Banks admitted to Joliet police he killed his wife, "Yeah, I shot her," he declared.

Joliet police found Cole lying unresponsive on the floor with multiple gunshot wounds. Her bathroom door frame was damaged, and a large amount of blood was on the floor. The blood drops led to the bedroom and that's where Banks' handgun was found, under a bed.

While being treated by medical staff, Banks told Joliet Police Sgt. Bill Otis that "he just did some diabolical shit."

"Did my wife pass?" Banks asked Sgt. Otis about 90 minutes later.

Joliet police obtained the rental lease for the murder victim's house on Westshire Drive and the lease listed Alicia Cole as a tenant but did not contain the name of Willie Banks on the documents.

As for Banks, he already had a pending 2022 domestic battery case in which Cole was his victim, a crime that happened Sept. 28, 2022. He had a second pending Will County criminal case from April 9, 2023, where he faced aggravated domestic battery, intimidation, unlawful restraint, violation of bail-bond and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence. A third pending case involved Banks being charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, domestic battery and aggravated assault, "and Alicia Cole is the alleged victim with a date of offense of March 25, 2023. Willie Banks is a convicted felon and has been sentenced to prison in the past," Jim Glasgow's prosecutors said.

Banks will be returned to the Will County Courthouse to be sentenced on Oct. 7.

The Will County jury began its deliberations at 12:38 p.m. on Monday and reached its unanimous verdict by 1:15 p.m.

Banks has remained in the Will County Jail since Dec. 15, 2023.

Previous Joliet Patch coverage:

Woman Slain In Joliet Home ID'd By Coroner

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