Two Chicago men have been sentenced to over 14 years in prison for carjacking a Chicago family at gunpoint in the backyard of their Beverly neighborhood home in 2023.
Kenneth Merritt, 29, pled guilty earlier this year to federal carjacking and firearms offenses. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Sunil Harjani sentenced him to 14 and a half years in prison.
Damarri Conner, 23, pled guilty earlier this year to the same allegations. In April, Harjani sentenced Connner to 14 ½ years of jail.
According to federal prosecutors, on November 2, 2023, Conner and Merritt approached Michele Pettiford and her 12-year-old daughter as they pulled into their garage in the back of their Beverly house.
The carjackers hit Pettiford in the face, knocking her to the ground, taking her handbag, and threatening to kill her and her kid. Conner then pointed a gun at Pettiford’s husband, Jeff, who had raced outside to rescue his family and calm the situation by showing the carjackers how to start the Audi. Both males took the Audi and drove away.
The carjacking was captured on the family’s Ring surveillance cameras.
Jeff Pettiford described his wife’s and daughter’s scared screams as unforgettable. “Every parent, if they heard that, would run toward it,” he said.
As one of the crooks pursued their daughter, she fled inside their home, closed the door, and contacted police. She rushed upstairs, grabbed her phone, and dialed 911. When we got back in, she was on the phone with 911 and handed it to me,” recalled Jeff Pettiford. “So I knew right away how courageous she was.”
The suspects became increasingly enraged while searching for Michele’s car keys, as she continuously said, “They’re in my purse!”
The video shows Jeff attempting to de-escalate the situation by urging the carjackers to take his car, which is parked in the driveway and has the keys inside. He even helped them start his vehicle.
The two suspects fled in his car, leaving the horrified parents on the ground in their backyard. I saw how they treated my wife and 12-year-old daughter, and I knew they would hurt and kill others, and they’re still doing it,” Jeff added.
On November 14, Conner returned to the family’s home, having taken the Pettifords’ other car, a Range Rover, during the carjacking and stealing it from the front of the house.
Police were able to locate the Range Rover in Conner’s area. They spotted him hiding in a home’s closet and arrested him.
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