A DuPage County judge denied pretrial release for a Naperville woman charged with murdering a man after an altercation in an Oakbrook Terrace hotel on Saturday night.

       Latrice Phillips, 51, of the 1400 block of Normantown Road, appeared in court Monday charged with one count of cirst-degree murder, according to a news release from DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Oakbook Terrace Police Chief Casey Calvello.

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       Oakbrook Terrace police officers responded to a call of shots fired about 8:15 p.m. at the Hilton Suites, 10 Drury Lane, the release said. When the officers arrived, they found victim Calvin Truitt with gunshot wounds to his backside. Truit was transported to a hospital, where he later died.

       Prosecutors allege Phillips got into a verbal altercation with a person in a group of people she knew, including Truitt, at the hotel pool. Truitt and his group left the pool area and got into an elevator, the release said. Phillips allegedly followed the group on to the elevator.

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       When they exited on the seventh floor, a fight broke out at which time Phillips allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired three times, striking Truitt. Prosecutors allege after the shooting, Phillips left the scene and returned to her hotel room.

       She was taken into custody a short time later in her hotel room. When processing Phillips’ hotel room, authorities recovered a Taurus 9 mm handgun in a holster from Phillips’ waistband, the release said.

       “The allegations that Ms. Phillips followed Mr. Truitt and others into a hotel elevator as they walked away from a verbal altercation and then shot and killed Mr. Truitt as they exited the elevator in a crowded hotel during the busy holiday season are shocking and will be met with the full force of the law,” Berlin said in the release.

       “In DuPage County, we do not tolerate any type of gun violence. I commend the Oakbrook Terrace Police Department for their prompt response and thorough investigation that allowed us to file first-degree murder charges within 24 hours of the murder.”

       Calvello also lauded police officers for their work.

       “Within minutes the officers had administered first aid to the victim, secured a 10-story building to ensure the safety of others and then apprehended the suspect,” he said. “The quick actions of the officers are a shining example of law enforcement working together with the help from the state’s attorney’s office to successfully charge the suspect with first-degree murder.”

       Phillips’ next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 4.

       Originally Published: Dec 04, 2023 at 6:41 pm