The man accused of killing an Illinois police officer in cold blood last week was wanted for battery and had been arrested 21 times and charged with 43 crimes in the last seven years.
Darius Sullivan, 25, who was arrested for the murder of Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic on December 29, has a lengthy rap sheet for various crimes around Kankakee County.
Rittmanic and her partner had been called to the Comfort Inn in Illinois because Sullivan and his girlfriend Xandria Harris had left their dog in their car.
When the two cops knocked on the couple's hotel room door to ask them about the animal, Sullivan opened fire - killing Rittmanic and wounding her partner Tyler Bailey.
He had previously been charged for burglary, possession of stolen firearms, criminal damage to government property, theft, resisting arrest, driving while under the influence and battery.
Many of his cases were still open when he allegedly gunned down Rittmanic with his girlfriend, Xandria Harris, 26, as the officer pleaded for her life inside the Illinois Comfort Inn off Highway 50.
Sullivan was denied bond on Wednesday and was extradited from Indiana to face murder and attempted murder charges along with Harris, who was also denied bond on Monday.
Darius Sullivan, 25, had been arrested 21 times in the past seven years and had open cases when he shot and killed Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic. He is shown left and his girlfriend Xandria Harris is shown, right
Rittmanic, left, is pictured with her wife, Lyn Stua and their rescue dogs. The Bradley Police Department said she was a hero who won Officer of the Year in 2020
Rittmanic (left) was described as a hero and named the Bradley Police Department's Officer of the Year in 2020. Her partner, Bradley Police Officer Tyler Bailey, 27, remains in critical condition after being shot in the head
Kankakee County State Attorney General Jim Rowe (right) recounted Rittmanic's dying words as he asked the state to seek the death penalty against Sullivan and Harris
Sullivan's open cases date back to February 2021, when he was charged for driving with a suspended license, driving without insurance and driving without vehicle registration. He was due to appear in court on March 30 but did not show up.
Then in April, Sullivan, of Kankakee, was charged by Illinois State Police for driving without insurance and while in possession of marijuana.
He was released and asked to appear in court on June 16, and after he failed to show up, a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Another warrant was later issued for his arrest on July 12, after Sullivan failed to appear in court to face a May 5 misdemeanor battery charge in Bradley, the Kankakee Times reported.
Sullivan's rap sheet begins when he was arrested by Kankakee City Police for burglary and felony possession of a stolen firearm when he was just 19.
He pleaded guilty to the burglary charges and received 36 months probation.
Then in May 2015, Sullivan was arrested again for damaging government property and theft and sentenced to 30 more months probation.
He was back in cuffs again in February 2017 for burglary and theft charges, as well as driving without a license or insurance.
The following year, Sullivan was arrested for resisting a Kankakee City Police officer in May.
Sullivan went on to be arrested 17 more times and received a total 43 charges from Kankakee County Sheriff's office and the Bradley, Manteno and Illinois State Police Departments.
Sullivan has three children with Harris, of Bradley, who is currently pregnant.
Sullivan's rap sheet starts in June 2014, when he was 19 years old
Rittmanic's wife, Lyn Stua attended the Harris's bond hearing on Monday
State and local officials said Sullivan was denied bail during a hearing on Wednesday
Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic, a 14-year veteran of the Bradley Police Department, was shot dead after responding to a call about a barking dog
The Bradley Police Department and Kankakee County Sheriff's Office described Rittmanic, a veteran of the force for 21 years, as a hero.
She was well-known for her leadership in the community and had received the department's Officer of the Year award in 2020.
Family and fellow department officers told NBC 5 in a statement: ''Our world has been turned upside down, obliterated and hopelessly broken.'
They went on to thank those who 'have affectionately gone out of their way to help us get through the most unnecessary, heartbreaking, painful, deplorable, tragic loss of our lives.'
'We are forever indebted to all of you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts,' the statement read.
A funeral service for the slain officer will be held on Friday.
Sullivan Kankakee County State Attorney General Jim Rowe presented dramatic body cam footage at a Monday bond hearing that showed Rittmanic begging for her life as Sullivan shot her to death with Harris's help.
'Just leave, you don't have to do this, please just go, please don't, please don't,' Rowe said as he recounted Rittmanic's final words.
'She was desperately pleading for her life.'
Rowe said Sullivan shot Rittmanic and chased her down a hallway at the inn, pinning her to the floor as Harris disarmed the officer, giving the weapon to Sullivan, who pointed the gun at the injured officer.
He said Sullivan then fired two shots, killing Rittmanic. The pair also shot Rittmanic's partner, Officer Tyler Bailey, 27, who is in critical condition at a Chicago area hospital.
Row is asking the state to consider the death penalty against Sullivan and Harris.
Although Illinois isn't a death penalty state, the U.S. Attorney General can authorize the filing of a petition to seek out the punishment in certain federal murder cases.
'I will be submitting an official request to the U.S. Attorney General for the Central District of Illinois and to the U.S. Attorney General to review the first degree murder case pending against Darius Sullivan and Xandria Harris for federal murder charges, and pursue a federal sentence of death against both defendants,' Rowe said.
The State´s Attorney will also seek life sentences for both Sullivan and Harris as the existing state-level charges proceed, Rowe said.
Judge Kathy Bradshaw Elliott granted a request to deny Harris bail.
'You are a real threat to the community,' Elliott told Harris.
Sullivan remained in custody and will appear at a later hearing.
The shooting took place at the Comfort Inn on Illinois' Highway 50
Sullivan, 25, of Bourbonnais was arrested after a 36-hour manhunt by U.S. Marshals and a SWAT team on Friday near Fort Wayne at a home in North Manchester, Indiana
RELATED ARTICLES
Two arrested in fatal shooting of veteran Illinois police... 
White cop is charged with murder after shooting dead...
Share this article
ShareRittmanic and Bailey were responding to a report of dogs barking in an unattended vehicle at the motel on Wednesday when they were shot.
When the officers ran the car's license plates, they discovered that it belonged to Sullivan. Bailey knew that Sullivan was wanted on a bench warrant, according to court documents, and that he had previously run from Bradley police officers trying to arrest him.
The two officers knocked on the door of room 308, where Sullivan and Harris were staying, for about 15 minutes. Harris repeatedly told them through the door that she was getting dressed.
Finally, she opened the door and tried to wedge her way outside and close the door behind her, hiding Sullivan from officers.
They asked her multiple times to move out of the way before Sullivan emerged, wielding a 9mm handgun equipped with a drum clip. He pointed the barrel and Bailey and shot him point-blank in the head.
He shot Rittmanic as she tried to run away, according to court documents. Then, his gun jammed - he tried to unjam the weapon with his right hand and mouth while he used his left hand to try to disarm Rittmanic.
Harris ran down the hallway towards the struggle, and Sullivan allegedly told her to 'cock the gun, cock the gun.' With her help, Sullivan took Rittmanic's service weapon from her, which he used to shoot her in the head, officials said.
Sullivan was arrested after a 36-hour manhunt by U.S. Marshals and a SWAT team on Friday near Fort Wayne at a home in North Manchester, Indiana, police said.
'Also at the house, several weapons and narcotics were also recovered,' Sgt. Glen Fifield with Indiana State Police said.
Cellphone video showed Sullivan and 19-year-old Daniel Acros, who was also arrested, walking out with their hands in the air after police cleared the home.
Hours later, Xandria A. Harris, 26, turned herself in to the Bradley Police Department. Her attorney, Phil Haddad, said she turned herself in voluntarily.
'She maintains her innocence. She's a mother of three children and she's pregnant,' Haddad said.
The case will go before a Kankakee County grand jury on Jan. 22. The next court date for Harris is Jan. 27 when she will be arraigned.
In Wabash, Indiana, meanwhile, Sullivan is fighting extradition to Illinois. Rowe said he will start the process of asking Indiana´s governor to sign a warrant to have Sullivan extradited to Kankakee County.
Rittmanic, who lived in Kankakee, joined department in 2007 and was promoted to sergeant in 2014, said Lieutenant Philip Trudeau, a department spokesman. She previously spent seven years as a deputy with the Iroquois County Sheriff's Department, he said.
People stand with hands on their hearts during the ceremonial procession for fallen Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic, Thursday, December 30
Bradey Police Lt. Philip Trudeau, left, comforts Bourbonnais Police officer Andy Cox following a ceremonial procession for fallen Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic on Thursday, December 30
Members of the Bradley Police Department stand by as fallen Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic is taken into the Clancy-Gernon Funeral Home in Bourbonnais, Illinois on Thursday, December 30
Bradley Police officer Sam Palaggi hugs a fellow officer following a ceremonial procession for fallen Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic on Thursday, December 30
Bailey underwent surgery for head injuries and remained in very critical condition at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois, officials said.
Police also arrested two other suspects in Indiana connected to the case.
Bryce Baker, 20, and Joshua Adams, 26, both from Kankakee, Illinois, were taken into custody when police spotted them driving the wrong-way during the manhunt for Sullivan.
Their possible connection to Sullivan was being investigated, FOX 32 reported.
'Any time an officer is killed in the line of duty, no matter where it happens in the country, it affects all of us,' Fifield said.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKaVrMBwrdGtoJyklWJ%2BcX%2BWanBvaV97sq6ty55knKegYsCpu9Nmm56ZlGKwsLjDZpmlp5%2BZeqjBzWanpZ2RmbKlecuinZ5leaG5qrrOoqpmqKKkwKav1K2mq6tdqLKmt4ydnJqsmGK9prrApauyZZ2Wu27DzqaYp2WRp7%2Bmv9Oem2alpaexpr6MnKmirJmYrq242Gagp6Klp7avs4ypmKusnpq%2Fb7TTpqM%3D