(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office)
KENOSHA, Wis. — A Kenosha County jury today found Kendal T. Readus (32), of Illinois, guilty on all counts related to the September 18, 2022 shooting outside Las Margaritas Tavern in Kenosha that left James Hood and Houston Oliver dead and two additional victims injured.
(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office)
The jury convicted Readus of all five charged counts following deliberations that began at 2:18 p.m. The jury reviewed evidence, including video footage, and returned guilty verdicts at 3:51 p.m. The verdicts were formally read in court at 3:54 p.m.
According to the criminal complaint, Readus was at Las Margaritas Tavern, located at 2232 Roosevelt Road, on September 18, 2022. After an altercation inside the tavern, he was removed from the bar. Prosecutors proved at trial that Readus entered a vehicle and then opened fire into a crowd of people outside the tavern, killing James Hood and Houston Oliver and wounding two additional victims.
Investigators used surveillance footage, squad video, witness testimony, and other evidence to identify the suspect and support the charges of two counts of 1st-Degree Intentional Homicide, two counts of 1st-Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety, and one count of Discharge Firearm from Vehicle Toward Person. Readus initially attempted to contact detectives to “clear his name” before later being taken into custody.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Vincent Kurta and Matthew Zisi, who secured guilty verdicts after the jury deliberated for just over an hour in a case involving a double homicide and two additional shooting victims. One courtroom observer indicated the verdict was unusually fast given the seriousness, complexity, and magnitude of the case, reflecting the strength and presentation of the evidence introduced during trial.
Defense attorney Clara Shum, a Milwaukee-based attorney representing Readus, argued at trial that Readus was not the individual responsible for the shootings. The jury ultimately rejected that theory and returned guilty verdicts on all counts.
Readus was originally charged in October 2022, and a warrant was issued with a $2 million cash bail amount. Readus now faces a mandatory life sentence under Wisconsin law when he is sentenced later this year. The conviction marks another major homicide prosecution secured by the Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office within the last year and closes a case that drew significant public attention due to the brazen nature of the shooting outside a busy tavern.
Readus is also currently facing separate charges stemming from an incident at the Kenosha County Jail earlier this month. According to a criminal complaint, prosecutors state Readus spit in the face of a corrections officer after refusing orders to surrender contraband discovered in his cell. He has been charged with assault by a prisoner, disorderly conduct, and three counts of violating state or county institution laws in that pending case.
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2 Responses
Too bad he keeps losing sexual assault cases.
THAT MY UNCLE FREE HIM