'Justice For Charlie': Trial Set To Begin In New Lenox Homicide

WILL COUNTY — The trial of a Harvey man charged in a fatal 2020 shooting at a New Lenox gas station is finally set to begin March 10, one step closer to closure for the victim's family.

Kevin Johnson, now 21, was 16 at the time of the slaying, and has been in custody on $2.5 million bond since being charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Charles Baird, a 19-year-old New Lenox resident.

“We all have been waiting five long years for this day," Jennifer Baird told Patch in a statement. "All we want is justice for Charlie! Closure for this horrible tragedy that found us, so we can move on as a family. Justice for Charlie."

Baird was shot at a New Lenox Circle K gas station in May 2020 when police said that a car, which had been stolen two days earlier from Lockport, pulled up to a gas pump near where Baird’s car was parked.

Police said that while Baird was inside the gas station, an occupant from the stolen vehicle tried to open the door of Baird’s car, in an attempt to steal it.

Baird’s car was locked, police said, and when another person approached him, words were exchanged and Baird was shot in the back. He was taken to a local hospital, but died two days later from his injuries.

Police have said previously that Baird was able to describe the suspect before he died, and that they have video of the shooting. Baird's mother has contended there was another person in the car who pointed to Johnson as the shooter.

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The start of the trial follows years of delays and setbacks in the case, including Johnson's attorney's claims of an alibi witness and attempts to locate that person. Johnson has remained in custody after failed attempts for reduced bond and electronic monitoring. In 2023, he also attempted to secure pre-trial release by utilizing a condition of the SAFE-T Act, a motion Will County Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak denied.

In October 2024, Bertani-Tomczak also limited the number of people Johnson could contact while in custody, citing reports that he had both directly and through other parties threatened to harm witnesses for the trial, Shaw Media reports. He was ordered not to contact anyone but two family members, according to the report.

The trial is set to begin March 10 under Judge Bertani-Tomczak.