A repeat felon who escaped electronic monitoring while awaiting trial for repeated sexual assaults has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for attempting to kill a Cook County sheriff’s office investigator who attempted to apprehend him again.
Wilbourn was charged with various sex crimes in January 2019, including charges that he sexually assaulted individuals under the age of 18 and threatened their lives, according to court documents. Despite the gravity of the allegations, Judge Carol Howard freed him on $30,000 bail and electronic monitoring.
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According to prosecutors, Wilbourn was meant to remain inside the home he shared with his then-girlfriend and her father while wearing the ankle monitor. However, in January 2022, family members got concerned after Wilbourn obtained a 30-round ammo magazine, which they suspected he would use to shoot police if they arrived at the house, officials said.
According to prosecutors, the girlfriend’s father took his dog, left the house, and contacted the sheriff’s office to cancel Wilbourn’s permission to reside there. While the father spoke with Chicago police officers outside, Wilbourn allegedly fled through the back door, according to prosecutors.
Sheriff’s investigators tracked Wilbourn down in the South Shore area using the GPS signal from his ankle monitor. Two marked patrol cars activated their emergency lights, trapping Wilbourn’s vehicle in a dead-end lane.
Wilbourn allegedly put his car in neutral, told his girlfriend he loved her, and then urged her to duck. He then exited the truck and began running, firing at the detectives, according to prosecutors. Four rounds struck one of the squad cars, causing no harm to the cops.
Investigators returned fire, injuring Wilbourn, who continued firing despite falling to the ground.
Wilbourn pled guilty to three charges of attempted murder on Tuesday, and Judge Carol Howard sentenced him to 16 years in prison, according to court records.
While in detention awaiting trial in the shooting case, Wilbourn handled the pending sex cases. Records reveal he pleaded guilty to two charges of criminal sexual assault containing threats to the woman and one count of criminal sexual abuse in exchange for an effective 14-year sentence, which Judge Howard also imposed.
Wilbourn was never prosecuted for evading electronic monitoring.
