(The following story by Natasha Korecki appeared on the Chicago Sun-Times website on December 3.)
CHICAGO — A man who shot at a Metra train engineer last summer as part of a murder-for-hire plot said he was given another choice of where to carry out the killing — a day care center.
Telly Virgin, 33, pleaded guilty today to shooting at a moving Metra train last summer. He said Theodore Howard, 48, of Chicago gave him crack and cash to shoot his ex-wife.
Howard allegedly gave Virgin a gun and told him he could shoot his ex-wife at their son’s day care center, at her home or shoot at her while she operated a Metra train.
Howard, 48, was charged in the plot in October.
Last year, Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell chronicled allegations leveled by Howard’s ex-wife, Andrea Brown, who said Howard stalked her and abused her.
In Virgin’s guilty plea, he says Howard drove him to the Metra train station on June 6, 2007 to carry out the shooting. Virgin shot at the moving train believing Brown was operating it.
But Brown had the day off, and Virgin shot at another engineer. The engineer wasn’t hit by gunfire but was hurt diving to the floor.
Virgin said he returned to Howard’s car and Howard gave him his compensation: 14 ÒdimeÓ bags of crack cocaine and a promise of $500 later — after Virgin shot at her again.
Virgin said in his plea deal that he never intended to really kill Brown, only to scare her. Howard allegedly asked Virgin to try again if he wanted to get paid.
Virgin said he returned to the train station two days later with another person — who was not identified in court papers.
Virgin shot toward the train again, but said he pointed the gun in the air to miss it. The engineer dove to the floor and broke his elbow. Brown was not on board.
Howard then allegedly asked Virgin to kill Brown at her house and he said he refused.
Virgin faces 210 to 262 months in prison. But if he continues to cooperate, the government will ask for more than half off the low-end of that range, according to Virgin’s plea deal.