'A Terrible Tragedy That Should Never Have Occurred': Lockport Chief
JOLIET — During Thursday morning’s closing arguments, Chicago criminal defense attorney Michael Clancy tore into the performance of the Lockport Police Department investigators, suggesting the jury should return not-guilty verdicts for his client, Anthony Maggio, because the real killer of baby Hazel and her mother Ashtin Eaton was still out there.
On Friday afternoon, after two entire days of deliberations, the 12 jurors came to a unanimous decision: Maggio, the former Joliet Amazon warehouse paramedic, was guilty of the first-degree premeditated murders of his infant daughter Hazel and Hazel’s mother.
In October 2020, Maggio ended their lives in the middle of the night, by sneaking into their Lockport apartment house at 936 Hamilton St. Maggio smothered the baby and he killed Eaton during a struggle on her kitchen floor. He also staged the crime scene to appear as if the distraught mother took her own life after accidentally suffocating her baby.
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After the jury verdicts were read, Clancy and a half-dozen relatives of Maggio were immediately escorted out of the Will County Courthouse by Will County Sheriff’s deputies through a side door. Meanwhile, two of Lockport’s lead detectives responsible for securing the arrest and conviction of Maggio remained outside the courthouse, receiving long hugs and warm regards from more than two dozen family and friends of Ashtin Eaton and baby Hazel.
Joliet Patch’s editor reached out to Lockport Police Chief Rich Harang for comment following Friday’s jury verdict in the Oct. 2, 2020 slayings.
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“First and foremost,” Chief Harang began, “I want to say our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of both Ashtin and baby Hazel. I know this entire process has been extremely painful for them and this was a terrible tragedy that should never have occurred.”
Chief Harang went on to say: “I want to thank my investigations team for their hard work and dedication on this case. They did a magnificent job. Without their passion for this profession, their professionalism in the way they handled this case and commitment to ensuring justice was brought on the person responsible, this case could not have been solved.”
Additionally, Chief Harang noted: “I want to thank the Illinois State Police and the Will County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance along with the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office for their expertise and successful prosecution of this case. I commend the jury for finding Maggio guilty of the murder of both Ashtin and baby Hazel. These are very difficult cases in that they are extremely tragic for everyone involved.”
Lockport Police Department Detective Jacob King oversaw the double murder investigation. King and Lockport Police Commander John Arizzi conducted the Oct. 6, 2020, interrogation of Maggio, then 26 years old, which lasted five hours.
The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office prosecution team consisted of Christopher Koch, James Zanayad and Ashley Kwasneski.
“My daughter is finally going to have justice along with my granddaughter, finally, after four years, ” said Shirley Onderisin, 65, of Lockport, outside the Will County Courthouse during a Joliet Patch Facebook Live interview. “We’re so happy, not happy because they’re gone, but finally, anyway, justice is served, and I want to thank the Lockport police. They were a terrific part of this. I put my trust in them a lot.”
Joliet Patch asked Hazel’s grandmother how she felt coming back to the courthouse for a second day of jury deliberations.
On Thursday, the jury deliberated from noon to 10 p.m. without a unanimous decision.
“I was very worried, very worried,” she replied. “But the evidence was there. I did a lot of praying.”
As far as Lockport’s police detectives, “They always kept in contact with me. And with them and the prosecution team, they were really good … I did a lot of praying.”
Maggio’s sentencing was set for late December.
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“You know, he’s going to suffer for a while, and I’m going to suffer until I die,” Onderisin said. “Because my babies will never be here with me again. But his dad can go visit him.”
Regarding having both her daughter and baby granddaughter murdered, “Why? Why?” Onderisin asked. “It was so senseless. I mean, why did he do this? He could have been living a good life. We all could have been living a good life. Now he’s got to sit in prison for the rest of his, and I don’t have my babies…”
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