Chicago felon released early and hailed as prison reform example charged with murder
Barnini Chakraborty
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A Chicago-area man convicted of murder who was sentenced to life imprisonment as a teenager but was released 33 years later and championed as the poster child for prison reform has been arrested and charged in the fatal beating of his ex-girlfriend and in the shooting death of her boyfriend.
Steven Hawthorne was found by police running from the grisly scene, covered in blood, and wearing an electronic monitoring device on his ankle. He hasn’t given a motive as to why he allegedly hunted down Tamera Washington, 26, and her new boyfriend Norman Redden Sr., 51, on April 16.
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One part of the brutal attack ended with Washington being repeatedly pistol-whipped and eventually crushed to death with a large rock, which was seen in part by her children: a 3-year-old girl and 5-year-old twins. The children escaped after a passing motorist pulled them into his car during the attack.
If Hawthorne is found guilty of the murder charges, it could mean a one-way trip back to the penitentiary and a renewed scrutiny of programs that support the early release of prisoners.
In 1984, Cook County Judge Stephen Schiller sentenced Hawthorne to life in prison without parole after the double murder of a purported bully and a witness who was hit by a stray bullet. At the time, Schiller made comments about the lack of judicial discretion that would allow him to give Hawthorne a lesser sentence.
At the time, Schiller also expressed doubt that Hawthorne would be a threat to society when he was 40 or 50. Hawthorne is now 55.
In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for juveniles to face life sentences without parole. Hawthorne was subsequently resentenced, this time to 66 years in prison. His sentence was again cut in half, and 33 years after he was convicted as a teenager, he walked out of the Stateville Correctional Center a free man.
Criminal justice advocates cited his case regularly as the ultimate story of redemption. Following his release, Hawthorne, who had started asking people to call him Mustafa, stayed busy. He volunteered at a charity and worked with former inmates to reintegrate them into society. He earned certification for fixing heating and cooling systems, volunteered at the Bluhm Legal Clinic at Northwestern University, where law students worked to secure his early release, and was also featured in a 2019 Chicago Tribune story about life after lockup and a shelter for people looking to get away from street violence.
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His hard work was noticed by the Inner City Muslim Action Network, and he began working more with community organizing and policy work, according to the report.
Hawthorne’s former boss, recently elected 5th Ward Alderman Desmon Yancy, said he was “shocked and devastated” to hear the latest allegations.
“My heart is broken for Tamera’s children and for Norman’s family. This isn’t anything I saw coming by any stretch,” the alderman said.
But there had been clues something was off.
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While things had been headed in a positive direction, Hawthorne “was arrested for gun possession” in February 2020, according to the Tribune. He was also arrested in January after law enforcement discovered five firearms, including an AR-15 rifle. At the time of the killings, he was out on bond for the unlawful use of a weapon by a felon charge.
Victims’ rights advocates, as well as some prosecutors, have argued that people like Hawthorne, who committed violent crimes as teenagers, shouldn’t get a second chance despite their age. Proponents for early release say there is mounting evidence that shows teenagers cannot gauge the consequences of their actions, are highly susceptible to peer pressure, and can be rehabilitated as adults.