Beloit teen appears in court for homicide case

BELOIT — A 16-year-old from Beloit made his initial appearance in Rock County Circuit Court Tuesday afternoon in connection with the April 5 fatal shooting of a Janesville man in Beloit.

Andre J. Rainey Sr. (not Jr. as reported in legal documents) faces charges of party to the crime of first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, two counts of attempted armed robbery and possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent. Jaiden Benitez, 20, of Janesville, was found in a vehicle in the 1300 block of Nelson Avenue in Beloit. He was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead on April 5.

Rainey’s case was waived into adult court.

He is in the custody of Youth Services, being held on a $200,000 cash bond. He appeared via Zoom while in custody, dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit. He kept a straight face, sitting still during the hearing.

He did not have a lawyer to represent him and requested a new initial hearing. A hearing was set for April 30, at 3 p.m.

Rainey was picked out of a photograph array as a passenger in the rear seat of the Benitez vehicle.The criminal complaint stated two suspects entered the back seat of the Benitez vehicle. Another passenger in the vehicle reported the shooting to police and said he was the victim’s “best friend.”

Rock County Juvenile Court records show that Rainey was found delinquent in March of 2022 for operating a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent, which would be a felony had he been an adult.