Juliet V Washington

Juliet Veronica Washington, a 41-year-old Black woman known for her good heart and dedication to her family, was a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service in Westmont, Illinois, for 17 years. A mother of two, her children were her world, and her colleagues remembered her as a great person and an excellent parent who always had a smile on her face. Her father, Alfred Pollard, recalled, "She was a hardworking person, but also she was good-hearted. She was really a person that would help anyone. She just would."

On the evening of June 28, 2017, Juliet spent the day in Chicago with her daughters at her eldest's apartment, cooking her daughter's favorite meal of cabbage and macaroni and cheese. Later that night, she drove to pick up her longtime friend, 32-year-old Jeanine Dowell. The two women had grown up together on the same block in the Washington Park neighborhood. Juliet’s last conversation was a call to her daughter to say she was on her way back to pick up her youngest child.

Around 10:30 p.m., while Juliet’s SUV was stopped at a red light at the intersection of Garfield Boulevard and South Wabash Avenue, another car pulled up behind them. Two men exited the vehicle, approached the SUV on foot, and opened fire in a terrifying, ambush-style attack. Prosecutors later stated that one gunman fired 14 times into the driver's side where Juliet sat, while the other fired eight times at Jeanine in the passenger seat. Both women suffered multiple gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene. Their SUV rolled onto the sidewalk as the shooters drove away.

The Chicago Police Department investigated the brutal double homicide. For more than two years, the case remained without arrests, leaving the families of both women in anguish. Juliet's oldest daughter later described the fear of not knowing if the killers were nearby. At the Westmont Post Office, Juliet's coworkers were devastated. The postmaster, Shenita Robinson, called the news "a very big hit for every employee." On the day of Juliet's funeral, postal workers from other branches covered their routes so her colleagues could attend.

In January 2020, a breakthrough in the investigation brought a measure of relief to the grieving families. Two men, Kevin Brown, then 24, and Makavelle Sampson, then 22, were arrested and charged with the murders of Juliet Washington and Jeanine Dowell. Sampson pleaded not guilty to 12 felony counts, including murder, in February 2019, while Brown was charged and denied bail in January 2020. Prosecutors revealed that a witness had followed the suspects' stolen car after the shooting and that DNA evidence linked both men to the crime.

Authorities never publicly disclosed a clear motive for the attack, though court proceedings revealed that Sampson had made numerous calls to a person who had previously faced aggravated battery charges involving Jeanine Dowell. A police spokesperson stated, "We have overwhelming evidence to prove the murder but no motive was given to us by the defendant." The announcement of the arrests was a significant step for the families. Juliet’s daughter expressed her relief, saying, "I felt like I could finally breathe again."

The legal proceedings faced a significant turn before either man could be tried for the murders. In September 2023, Makavelle Sampson, at the age of 26, died in the Cook County Jail while awaiting trial. An autopsy revealed he had a brain tumor that was a significant contributing factor in his death from an overdose. As of that time, the case against the second suspect, Kevin Brown, was still pending. The deaths of Juliet Washington and Jeanine Dowell, two mothers who left behind a total of five children, remain a profound loss for their families and community.