A Montgomery man has been convicted by a Kane County jury of first degree murder. Prosecutors say that 32-year-old Chuckie E. Chatman, of Montgomery, began the chain of events that led to the death of 40-year-old Ernest Hardy, of Aurora, in a crash in October of 2020.
The Kane County State's Attorney's Office says that Chatman had been angry that Hardy was dating the mother of his children and had made threats against the woman. On October 16, Chatman went to the woman's home on Best Place in Aurora. She refused to let him in. The woman called Hardy who came and picked her up. Chatman, and a passenger whose identity is still unknown, followed them at a high rate of speed until the passenger fired a gun at Hardy's vehicle. One of the shots hit a tire and caused the vehicle to crash into a parked car. Hardy was seriously injured and died a few days later. The woman wasn't hurt and was able to run home.
Chatman was booked into the Kane County Jail in November of 2020 and has been there since. He's due back in court for sentencing in October. The jury also found Chatman guilty of aggravated discharge of a firearm.