Free Xandria Harris: Is Ms. Harris a Killer or a Woman Caught in a Tragedy She Didn’t Create?

By Aaron Robinson

 

Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe, left, and Xandria Harris, right

She did not fire the gun.

Yet today, Xandria Harris, a mother of several children faces the same first-degree murder charges as the man who pulled the trigger.

On December 29, 2021, officers responded to a call at the Comfort Inn in Bradley, Illinois. What began as a complaint about barking dogs ended in tragedy: Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic was killed, and Sgt. Tyler Bailey was seriously wounded. Darius Sullivan has since been convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

But why is Harris standing trial as if she committed the same act?

Prosecutors argue she was present and involved. They point to her actions before and after the shooting. During Sullivan’s trial, she refused to testify, even after being granted use of immunity and was sentenced to 10 years for contempt of court. Judge Kathy Bradshaw-Elliott stated that refusal to testify must be deterred.

Her defense tells a different story.

Attorney Cierra Norris argues Harris was a victim of domestic abuse and suffered from battered woman syndrome. A psychologist was hired to evaluate whether she acted under duress. Supporters insist she never carried a weapon, never harmed an officer, and instead focused on getting her children to safety.

So the question remains: Is she being prosecuted for participation or for proximity?

In a justice system that has long drawn scrutiny from communities of color, some are asking harder questions. Would this case look the same if Harris were not a Black woman? Is silence being treated as guilt? Is loyalty being criminalized?

This trial is about more than one night in 2021. It is about how far accountability extends and whether justice can distinguish between the hand that pulls a trigger and the person standing beside it.

For many watching, the demand is simple: If the law is blind, it must also be fair.

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