Crime & Law
Man Convicted of Killing Chicago Police Officer Ella French Sentenced to Life in Prison
Chicago police Officer Ella French (@TomAhernCPD / Twitter)
Emonte Morgan was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison for the 2021 killing of Chicago police Officer Ella French during an Englewood traffic stop.
A 12-person jury found Morgan, 24, guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder charges in March, more than two and a half years after he killed French and critically wounded her partner, Carlos Yanez Jr. In addition to the life sentence for French’s murder, Mogan was sentenced to 50 years for the attempted murder conviction.
Morgan did not testify during his trial, and his defense lawyers did not call any witnesses. The jury reached its guilty verdict after three and a half hours of deliberations.
During the March trial, jurors heard testimony from French’s mother, who spoke about the last conversation she had with her daughter the day she died, as well as the two surviving officers who were with French the night of the shooting.
Graphic body camera footage was also shown that captured French’s final moments during the Aug. 7, 2021, traffic stop.
French was on patrol just after 9 p.m. with Yanez and Officer Joshua Blas when they pulled over an SUV with expired license plates that was driven by Morgan’s brother, Eric Morgan, near 63rd Street and Bell Avenue.
French’s body camera showed her walk to the driver’s side of the vehicle and speak with Eric Morgan, while Yanez and Blas spoke to a woman in the front passenger seat and Emonte Morgan, who was in the backseat.
After Yanez spotted an open alcohol container in the vehicle, all three occupants were asked to get out. As he did, Emonte Morgan continued holding a drink cup and a phone in his hand, but after he refused to set those items down, Yanez and Blas began struggling with him.
As this happened, Eric Morgan tried to run and was chased by Blas, while Yanez continued struggling with Emonte Morgan at the back of the SUV. They moved toward the front passenger seat of the vehicle as French came around the back of the vehicle to assist. As she did, Morgan allegedly fired shots, striking both French and Yanez.
Morgan can then be heard on video reloading his firearm, according to prosecutors.
Blas, who had chased down Eric Morgan, realized something was wrong and ran back to the vehicles. He testified in March that he exchanged gunfire with Emonte Morgan, who was struck and ran away.
During the trial, Yanez testified he was shot five times in his head, neck and shoulder, and showed jurors the scars left from each of those wounds. He wiped away tears and repeatedly looked away from the screen as he rewatched footage of the shooting while on the witness stand.
Yanez was paralyzed after the shooting and lost his right eye and is no longer able to work as a police officer because of his injuries.
Eric Morgan accepted a plea deal last fall and was sentenced to seven years in prison. Jamel Danzy, who pleaded guilty in federal court to straw purchasing the firearm allegedly used to kill French, was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Matt Masterson contributed to this report.
