A 31-year-old man charged in a fatal double shooting from last January is set to return to court next week to discuss potential trial dates after dismissing his defense attorney on March 17.
Darren Tomlinson is charged with two counts of murder in the shooting death of 43-year-old Hassan Howard on Jan. 19, 2025. He also faces charges of attempted murder, assault, conspiracy and multiple gun violations for his alleged involvement in the shooting, which also left another man injured inside a car on the 400 block of Washburn Avenue. Law enforcement arrested Tomlinson two months after the incident occurred, on March 19, 2025.
On March 17, Tomlinson’s request to dismiss defense attorney Augustine Okeke followed a state’s request to postpone trial proceedings due to pending ballistic and forensic evidence. Speaking through Okeke, the defendant objected to the state’s postponement request, maintaining his wish to proceed with trial as soon as possible. The disagreement arose when Okeke diverged from his client’s wishes and informed the court he did not oppose the postponement, as he believed the additional evidence could strengthen his defense strategy…