A man was sentenced on Apr. 10 to fourteen and a half years in federal prison after pleading guilty to carjacking a vehicle at gunpoint in the backyard of a Chicago residence.
The case highlights concerns about violent crime in Chicago, particularly offenses involving firearms and direct threats to victims’ safety.
According to authorities, Damarr Conner and Kenneth Merritt ambushed a woman and her daughter as they returned home on Nov. 2, 2023, in the Beverly neighborhood. Conner punched the woman, pointed a loaded handgun at her, then aimed it at her husband when he tried to help. The attackers took an Audi sedan and drove away; surveillance videos captured the incident.
Later that month, Conner returned to steal another vehicle from the same family—a Range Rover—using keys taken during the first carjacking. Law enforcement tracked the stolen vehicle back to Conner’s neighborhood and arrested him after finding him hiding in a closet.
Conner pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal carjacking and firearm charges. U.S. District Judge Sunil R. Harjani handed down his sentence on Wednesday. Merritt also pleaded guilty; his sentencing is scheduled for June 9.
Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI's Chicago Field Office; and Larry Snelling of the Chicago Police Department announced Conner’s sentence.
"Carjackings are among the most personal and terrifying crimes committed in this District," Assistant U.S. Attorney Elie Zenner said in court documents related to sentencing. "This crime was heinous and violent. The trauma he inflicted on his victims will take years to repair."
