Facebook Live Torture Case Defendant Rejects Plea Deal

CHICAGO, IL — One of the four defendants who allegedly tied up and tormented a mentally challenged Crystal Lake man and streamed video footage of the torture on Facebook in 2017 rejected a plea deal from prosecutors during a brief hearing Tuesday. Jordan Hill, 19, turned down the agreement that would have sentenced him to eight years in prison if he pleaded guilty to aggravated kidnapping and a hate crime, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Hill was arrested and charged along with Tesfaye Cooper, 19, Brittany Covington, 19, and Tanishia Covington, 25, in connection with the Jan. 3, 2017, incident. The four defendants are accused of binding the then-18-year-old victim with duct tape before beating and taunting him for hours at the West Side apartment of the Covingtons, who are sisters.

While captive, the victim, who is white, had his clothes and hair cut and was forced to drink water from a toilet bowl. The defendants, who are black, can be heard shouting, "F--- Donald Trump!" and "F--- white people!" in the video that captured the brutal incident, which was streamed live on Facebook.

The four defendants face various charges stemming from the alleged attack, including aggravated kidnapping, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and a hate crime.

More Patch Coverage:

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• Chicago Torture-Kidnap Case: Disgust Over Attack, Support for Victim, Cause for Conservatives
• GoFundMe Samaritan Wants Facbook Video Victim to Know Good People Are Out There
• Facebook Live Torture Case Defendants Plead Not Guilty
• Bail Set For All 4 Defendants In Facebook Live Torture Case
• Teen Takes Plea Deal In Hate Crime
• Facebook Live Torture Case Defendant Charged In Jail Fight

Hill also has been accused of setting in motion the disturbing events of January by picking up the victim in a stolen van New Year's Eve of 2016. The two teens had been classmates at a school in Aurora, and the judge in the case has accused Hill of using that past relationship to gain — and then betray — the victim's trust.

Initially, all four defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges in February. But in December of last year, Brittany Covington struck a deal with prosecutors, and she pleaded guilty to the hate crime, aggravated battery and intimidation charges.

In exchange for changing her plea, Covington was put on probation for four years, and she could be required to testify against the other defendants. The kidnapping count against her also was dropped, but she is prohibited from using social media for four years and must complete 200 hours of community service.

During his time in jail, Hill and two other inmates are accused of attacking and injuring another inmate in a Dec. 8 jail brawl. He was charged with misdemeanor battery in the skirmish.

More via the Chicago Sun-Times

Jordan Hill, 19 (Photo vai Chicago Police Department)