Naperville Woman Charged With Murder In Hotel Slaying: Prosecutors

NAPERVILLE, IL — A 51-year-old Naperville woman faces first-degree murder charges in connection with the fatal shooting of a man at an Oakbrook Terrace hotel on Saturday night, prosecutors announced on Monday.

Latrice Phillips of the 1400 block of Normantown Road, was denied pre-trial release by a judge after appearing in court on Monday. Phillips is charged in the slaying of Calvin Truitt, 33, Calumet City, who died in the shooting at the Hilton Suites in Oakbrook Terrace Saturday night.

Police arrived at the hotel shortly after 8:30 p.m. and found Truitt with gunshot wounds to his back and side, officials said. Truitt was taken to a local hospital but died as a result of his injuries. On Monday, the DuPage County State’s Attorney said that investigators believe that Phillips got into an argument with a person in a group of people whom she knew, at the hotel pool.

Prosecutors believe that Truitt and his group left the pool area and got on an elevator. Investigators said that Phillips followed the group when they left the pool area and got on the elevator with them. Prosecutors believe that when the elevator doors opened on the seventh floor, a fight broke out, at which time Phillips pulled out a handgun and fired three times, striking Truitt.

Prosecutors also allege that after the shooting, Phillips left the scene and returned to her hotel room. She was taken into custody a short time later from her hotel room without incident. When processing Phillips’ hotel room, authorities recovered a Taurus 9 millimeter handgun in a holster from Phillips’ waistband.

“The allegations that Ms. Phillips followed Mr. Truitt and others into a hotel elevator as they walked away from a verbal altercation and then shot and killed Mr. Truitt as they exited the elevator in a crowded hotel during the busy holiday season are shocking and will be met with the full force of the law,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said. “In DuPage County, we do not tolerate any type of gun violence. I commend the Oakbrook Terrace Police Department for their prompt response and thorough investigation that allowed us to file first-degree murder charges within twenty-four hours of the murder.”

Phillips’ next court appearance is scheduled for January 4 for arraignment.