Illegal immigrant charged with murdering 18-year-old college freshman in Chicago

Jose Medina-Medina (L) who is accused of murdering Sheridan Gorman (R).

An illegal immigrant from Venezuela has been charged with the brutal murder of an 18-year-old college freshman in Chicago last week. Homeland security officials say the suspect was caught illegally crossing the border in 2023 and released into the U.S. by border agents in accordance with the Biden administration's lax policy on illegal immigration. 

Authorities said Jose Medina-Medina, 25, fatally shot Sheridan Gorman, 18, a student at Loyola University Chicago, at about 1 a.m. on Thursday morning. She'd been out with friends to view the Northern Lights, which were expected to make a spectacle in the skies over the Midwest during the overnight hours, according to NBC5.

Investigators say Medina-Medina walked up to the group of friends, his face concealed by a mask, brandished a firearm and shot in their direction. A bullet struck Gorman in the head as she tried to flee, and she was later pronounced dead at the scene. 

The Department of Home Security said Medina-Medina was apprehended in May 2023 illegally crossing the southern border, but was released and allowed to into the U.S. at a time when then-President Joe Biden allowed a mass influx of illegal immigrants to come into the country, even those caught entering illegally. About two months after being released into the U.S., Medina-Medina was arrested for shoplifting and charged with misdemeanor retail theft, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. 

Medina-Medina was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first degree murder, three counts of aggravated assault and discharge of a firearm, and one felony count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, NBC5 reported. Gorman's family issued a statement saying they were "gravely disappointed by the policies and failures that allowed this individual to remain in a position to commit this crime. When systems fail — whether through release decisions, lack of coordination, or unwillingness to act — the consequences are not abstract. They are real. And in our case, they are permanent.” Gorman’s family added that the suspect "must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of both state and federal law."

A statement from the Department of Homeland Security echoed that sentiment and pointed a finger at Gov. JB Pritzker's policies. "We are calling on Governor Pritzker and Chicago’s sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this criminal illegal alien from jail back into American neighborhoods," the DHS said in a statement, according to Fox News reporter Bill Melugin. Some local officials have spoken on out the brutal crime. “This was 100% avoidable,” Chicago Alderman Ray Lopez told NewsNation, adding that Medina-Media failed to show up in court to face shoplifting charges and that a warrant for his arrest was out at the time of Gorman's killing.

On Monday morning, President Trump addressed the killing, saying "it's devastating" for Gorman's family and adding, "these people were let in by Biden. We're getting them out, we're getting them out fast. That's why ICE is so important."