A federal jury has convicted a reputed gang member of killing a rival at a Chatham convenience store in an effort to boost his status within a faction of the Gangster Disciples.
Pierre Robinson, 29, was found guilty last Thursday of murder as part of a racketeering conspiracy in the December 2014 fatal shooting of 23-year-old Glenn Houston Jr., court records show.
Robinson had been indicted in November 2018 while serving a 33-month sentence in a federal weapons case.
During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence showing Robinson targeted Houston “for the purposes of maintaining and increasing [his] position” in the Evans Mob faction of the Gangster Disciples, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Also known as “GuttaGang” and “HitzSquad,” the faction was described in the indictment as a violent “criminal organization” based on the South Side.
The afternoon shooting happened just two days before Christmas at the Eberhart Food Store at 457 E. 79th St. Robinson walked inside and shot Houston multiple times before running off, according to prosecutors and Chicago police.
His conviction is punishable by a mandatory life sentence, prosecutors said. Robinson, who has used the alias Javontte Richardson, was previously convicted of gun charges three times in Cook County and sentenced to prison, court records show.
Another member of the Evans Mob, 22-year-old Derrick Swanson, was indicted in April 2019.
Swanson is accused of fatally shooting 27-year-old Anthony Carter in the head as he stood near a vehicle outside a Falcon Fuel gas station at 834 E. 79th St., prosecutors said. Swanson allegedly killed Carter hoping to maintain or increase his clout in the faction, much like Robinson.
In February, Swanson pleaded guilty to the same charge that Robinson was convicted of, court records show. His next court date was set for Sept. 15.
