By Illinois Review
In February, a Rockford car salesman was found dead in Chicago after taking customers out on a test drive – and less than two months later, a suspect was finally arrested and charged with his murder. But records reveal that the killer was out on pretrial release for two other cases, proving the point made by public safety advocates and Republicans across the state that cashless bail puts dangerous criminals where they don’t belong: back out on the streets to commit even more crimes.
35-year old Crisoforo Osorio Gonzalez was found dead with zip tie marks on his wrists and gunshot wounds to the back of his head and back as he lay motionless on the side of the road. The suspect, 38-year old Rosie Chavez, who was arrested on April 1st, was a benefactor of the cashless bail program advocated by Democrats and was on pretrial release for two other cases – one involving felony aggravated battery of a police officer and the other – retail theft.
U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, a Democrat who represents the 17th congressional district that includes Rockford, has been silent on the murder of his constituent – fearful he might offend his political supporters who passionately advocated and supported cashless bail and pretrial release for dangerous criminals.
In 2022, Sorensen campaigned alongside Democrat Illinois State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, who defended the controversial policy, arguing that the “right wing extremist MAGA propaganda” was creating false narratives about cashless bail and she found the rhetoric offensive. Gordon-Booth, who spoke at a fundraiser for Sorensen alongside Democrat Illinois State Sen. Dave Koehler, joined forces to attack Republicans for “peddling fear” about the controversial policy.
“All of the sudden, the right wing is peddling fear. Fear is a very big motivator. You scare everybody into thinking we’re letting out criminals willy-nilly. That’s not true,” said Koehler.
Sorensen is also supported by Equality Illinois, who proclaimed last year that “The end of cash bail in IL will begin to advance meaningful public safety, not wealth.”
Just after the November election in 2022, Equality Illinois issued a statement congratulating the Congressman-elect on his victory, saying, “We look forward to advancing justice with U.S. Rep. Sorensen.”
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella issued a statement in response to the arrest, writing,
“Eric Sorensen is in bed with radical groups who want to coddle criminals and let them roam free on the streets of Illinois. Sorensen should be ashamed and apologize for supporting dangerous soft on crime policies.”
Rep. Sorensen faces Republican Joseph McGraw, a former judge, in the November general election.
