Father of slain student Sheridan Gorman calls death a 'failure' after illegal immigrant's not guilty plea

Jose Medina-Medina, the amerciable migrant accused of sidesplitting assemblage pupil Sheridan Gorman successful Chicago, pleaded not blameworthy to each counts connected Wednesday during his arraignment hearing.

Medina-Medina, 25, was arrested aft helium allegedly killed Gorman, an 18-year-old Loyola University Chicago student, connected March 19. According to the Department of Homeland Security, helium illegally entered the U.S. from Venezuela successful 2023, erstwhile helium was apprehended but released into the state by the Biden administration.

During his arraignment connected Wednesday, Medina-Medina pleaded not blameworthy to murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, aggravated discharge of a firearm, and amerciable possession of a weapon. He besides faces a national complaint of illegally possessing a firearm.

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Sheridan Gorman, a New York autochthonal and freshman astatine Loyola University Chicago, was a fewer months from completing her archetypal twelvemonth earlier she was slain. (Sheridan G. Gorman via Instagram)

Thomas Gorman, Sheridan's father, said aft the proceeding that her decease "was not conscionable a senseless tragedy. It was preventable."

"There were laws already successful place, determination were mechanisms already successful place, and someway they were not enforced successful a mode to forestall this from happening. This is not a argumentation debate, this is simply a failure," helium said. "It's an bare spot astatine the table. It is soundlessness wherever determination utilized to beryllium laughter. It's waking up each time knowing that your kid is gone."

Sheridan's mother, Jessica Gorman, besides addressed reporters aft the hearing, remembering the girl she described arsenic "beautiful connected the wrong and out."

"She truly mattered. And we're going to get justness for her," Jessica Gorman said.

Prosecutors revealed during an earlier detention proceeding for Medina-Medina connected April 3 that Gorman was with her friends astatine a Rogers Park pier erstwhile she looked astir a lighthouse and saw Medina-Medina was there. Gorman past walked backmost towards her friends and mouthed, "There's a antheral down the lighthouse," astatine which constituent Medina-Medina began chasing them.

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As Gorman and her friends were moving away, Medina-Medina changeable her successful the precocious back, according to prosecutors. Her friends continued moving until they recovered a spot to hide, past erstwhile they went to cheque connected Gorman, she was unresponsive.

Jose Medina-Medina, a Venezuelan national, was arrested for shoplifting and released earlier the alleged murder, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed. (DHS)

An apprehension study obtained by Fox News Digital states that aft the shooting, Medina-Medina was seen connected video successful his flat building's lobby waiting for an elevator portion helium wasn't masked. A gathering technologist told constabulary that helium knew the fishy who had a "very chiseled limp and gait."

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Images of the fishy were sent to a constabulary database, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection identified the fishy arsenic Medina-Medina. He was arrested astatine his flat successful Rogers Park, according to the apprehension report.

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Sheridan Gorman was changeable and killed portion walking with friends adjacent Tobey Prinz Beach, little than a mile from the Illinois campus, astir 1 a.m. connected Thursday, March 19. (Sheridan G. Gorman via Instagram)

Retired Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy told Fox News Digital the video grounds against Medina-Medina is "extremely strong."

"Video grounds is highly strong, due to the fact that radical tin spot with their ain 2 eyes, they're not relying connected the representations of a authoritative oregon defence attorney. They tin marque their ain judgment. In this case, determination was dense accent enactment connected the video evidence. And I deliberation this speaks for itself," Roy said.

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Flowers were near connected the pier astatine Tobey Prinz Beach successful Rogers Park, Chicago, connected March 23, 2026, successful representation of Loyola University freshman Sheridan Gorman, who was fatally changeable connected the pier connected March 19, 2026, allegedly by an amerciable immigrant. (Kamil Krzaczynski/Fox News Digital)

"Fortunately, successful this case, determination were cameras wrong the country of the execution and, you know, they were connected it close away, truthful determination wasn't a clip gap," helium added.

While Medina-Medina was successful Colombia, helium was changeable successful the head, which resulted successful the nonaccomplishment of a information of his encephalon and skull, leaving him to relearn basal functions, his lawyer said. Medina-Medina's lawyer said that helium has the encephalon improvement of a kid and cannot work oregon write.

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Jose Medina-Medina is accused of sidesplitting Sheridan Gorman. (Sheridan Gorman/Instagram and Cook County Sheriff's Office)

Medina-Medina's lawyer besides said that helium suffers from epilepsy and inactive has slug fragments lodged successful his brain. The execution fishy turned himself successful astatine the Texas borderline successful 2023, wherever helium was held successful detention earlier being released. His lawyer said that Medina-Medina had requested to beryllium sent backmost to Colombia, wherever his parent had moved to, but had been transported by autobus to Chicago.

While Medina-Medina was successful a shelter, helium contracted tuberculosis, according to his attorney. He was treated for tuberculosis aft being arrested connected execution charges, which led to a hold successful his detention hearing.

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Court documents obtained by Fox News Digital amusement that Medina-Medina told officials helium was surviving astatine Leone Beach Park fieldhouse successful Rogers Park successful 2023, which was being utilized arsenic a city-sponsored structure for migrants.

Medina-Medina was arrested successful 2023 and charged with shoplifting aft helium allegedly stole conscionable implicit $130 successful merchandise from a Macy's successful downtown Chicago. He failed to look for tribunal hearings related to that case, and an apprehension warrant remained progressive until the alleged murder.

Fox News' Philip Bodinet and Patrick McGovern contributed to this report.