Phil Flores, Ex-Crest Hill Cop Facing $15M Judgment For Samantha Harer's Death, Has Died

JOLIET, IL — Almost two years after Will County Judge John Anderson issued a $15 million default judgment against former Crest Hill Police Officer Phil Flores for the fatal shooting of Flores' estranged girlfriend, 23-year-old Samantha Harer, Flores has died.

Crest Hill Police Chief Ed Clark informed Patch of Flores' death on Friday morning, confirming a news report from WJOL's Scott Slocum. The news radio station located in Crest Hill reported that Flores died earlier this week from cardiac arrest. He was 40 years old.

Flores remained on paid leave from the Crest Hill Police Department for about 13 months following Harer's gunshot death in February 2018.

In March 2019 Flores resigned from the force, and he was not employed in law enforcement after resigning from the Crest Hill police force. Flores had been living the past several years at an apartment complex off Ingalls Avenue.

The wrongful death lawsuit was filed by Harer's parents Kevin and Heather Harer. With Flores' death, it appears the $15 million judgment will never be paid.

Samantha Harer, an off-duty 911 dispatcher with WESCOM in Plainfield, had died of a gunshot to her head while she was naked inside the bedroom of her Channahon apartment on Bridge Street. Her family's lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, insisted there was both police incompetence and corruption at the Channahon Police Department, and that's why Harer's death was treated as and ruled a suicide back in 2018.

On July 1, 2023, Flores was the focus of a Joliet Patch article headlined: Samantha Harer's 'Coward' Killer Runs From Courtroom: Bonjean. Flores ran down the ninth-floor hallway of the Will County Courthouse and exited a stairwell, choosing not to hear evidence in Samantha Harer's wrongful death case. His court hearing in Courtroom 905 continued in his absence.

Moments before he left, Flores told the judge, "I didn't do what's been alleged. My heart goes out to the Harers."

World-famous civil rights lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, who joined the proceedings through Zoom, asked the Will County judge to stop Flores' rambling statement at the start of her evidentiary hearing. Bonjean represented Kevin and Heather Harer, Samantha's parents.

"Judge, I object," Bonjean declared, saying she did not want to hear any more comments from Flores talking about the Harers.

When Judge Anderson put a stop to it, Flores informed the judge he knew where this was going. Flores then announced he would not be staying to hear Bonjean outline her evidence suggesting Flores committed first-degree murder by fatally shooting Harer in her Channahon apartment bedroom on Feb. 13, 2018.

After Flores fled the courtroom, a woman in the courtroom told Patch, ""Leave him be. It was a thorough investigation. He has suffered enough. He loved (Samantha)."

On July 20, 2023, Joliet Patch reported that Judge Anderson, who last year was elected to the Third District Illinois Court of Appeals, issued a $15 million judgment against Flores, blaming him for taking Samantha Harer's life.

"Applying the preponderance standard, the Court finds that the foregoing evidence contradicts the notion that Felipe was outside the bedroom when Samantha was shot, and further contradicts the notion that she shot herself," Judge Anderson wrote in his July 2023 four-page ruling. "Rather, the evidence demonstrates that Felipe likely shot and killed Samantha. The Harers have adequately proven the elements of their claims for wrongful death and emotional distress against Samantha."

Flores was never charged with any crimes in connection with Harer's death.

Over the past seven years, Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow continued to support the Channahon police and Will-Grundy Major Crimes Task Force's finding that Harer had taken her own life and that Flores committed no criminal wrongdoing. As a result of Glasgow's stance on the case, Flores was never charged with any crimes in connection with Harer's death.

Paul Ciolino, who served as the family spokesman for the deceased 911 dispatcher's parents, reacted to the news of Flores' death during a phone interview with Joliet Patch on Friday morning.

Ciolino said that Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow, along with his team of criminal prosecutors, dropped the ball big-time on the Harer case.

"Flores was never prosecuted and brought to justice for the murder of Sam," Ciolino told Patch. "It's just so unfortunate that the guy was never prosecuted. He got the ultimate hall pass from the State's Attorney's Office. They didn't want to prosecute a cop. If he was anything but a cop or law enforcement, he would have been indicted or prosecuted within days of her murder."

Ciolino said that Glasgow's office was also responsible for smearing Harer's reputation after her death and failing to bring her family justice in this case.

"It's a magnificent tragedy all around for everybody but Phil Flores," Ciolino said.

During a July 2023 interview following Judge Anderson's $15 million default judgment against Flores, attorney Jennifer Bonjean told Patch, "If nothing else, the idea that it was a clear suicide has been debunked. Again, this was never about the money to Kevin and Heather Harer. The judge was very consistent in applying the law and we're hopeful that this will give the Will County State's Attorney's Office some motivation to take another look at this case."

She said the forensic evidence showed that Flores fatally shot Harer inside her bedroom; the gunshot residue tests came back positive for Flores, negative for Harer, who was found in the nude. Also, blood spatter was found on Flores' dark sweatshirt and his right sleeve. Flores' right hand covered in blood and there was no credible evidence that Flores ever touched or handled Samantha Harer's body after the shooting, Bonjean pointed out.

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