Reckless murder charges in hit-and-run that killed officer
""He never should have been behind the wheel," said James Jones, whose wife, Nikkii Bostic-Jones, 38, was struck about 11 p.m. Wednesday as she was crossing California Avenue to begin her overnight shift at the Cook County Jail.
Juan Bello, 57, was charged Friday with reckless murder and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. He was also ticketed for failure to yield to a pedestrian, driving too fast for conditions and driving on a revoked license — which state records show was yanked in 2010 after his second DUI conviction in seven years.
Jones said he's been trying to arrange for his wife's funeral but intends to be at the criminal courthouse for Bello's bond hearing Saturday.
"I'm glad they caught the man, but the more I think about it — he stole her away from me," Jones said by telephone.
Bello was driving a navy blue van when he hit Bostic-Jones just south of 29th Street and knocked her into the path of a sheriff's squad car, according to police. Investigators used a partial license plate number to track the van and found it parked around the corner from Bello's home in the 2900 block of West 25th Street on Thursday afternoon. Bello was then taken in for questioning.
Illinois secretary of state records show Bello's driver's license was revoked in 2010 after he was found guilty of drunken driving in Iowa. He could have sought to try to get his license back last year but never did, according to an office spokesman.
Bello was also convicted of DUI after a 2002 traffic stop in LaSalle County, court records show. He received court supervision and his license was returned to him the next year.
In addition to the drunken-driving convictions, Bello has been found guilty in Co! ok Count y of numerous traffic violations, including speeding, running a red light and driving with an expired registration, records show.
His former wife, Nelly Bello, 57, said she remained friends with Bello after they divorced in 2008 and described him as a very conscientious person who had no apparent problems with alcohol. He's held a steady job at a south suburban factory for years, she said.
"He is a very good man," Bello said in Spanish from the doorway of her Little Village home. "He has a very strong character."
Earlier Friday, dozens of officers held a vigil for Bostic-Jones outside the jail, where she spent 12 years as a corrections officer and was known for her warm personality.
"A couple of the officers ... said they started their shift each day with a hug from her and that's what they're going to miss the most," said Scott Bratlien, the superintendent of the jail's maximum security division where Bostic-Jones was assigned. "She was just one of those people."
Her sister, Tamika Bostic, said she was relieved at news of the arrest.
"He did take a life from me, so he deserves what he gets," she said.
Tribune reporter Peter Nickeas contributed.
jmeisner@tribune.com
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