COOK COUNTY, IL — In a harrowing case that shook the local community, Benton-Harris, known online as Bitedown (600), has been found guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder following a violent attack that claimed the lives of Elijah, Emoni House, and left their mother and a 19-year-old friend critically injured.
According to prosecutors, the tragedy unfolded inside a family home during a confrontation. The mother of the victims intervened after noticing a fight between Benton-Harris and her son, Elijah, and guided him to the basement to calm down. Believing the immediate threat had passed when Benton-Harris briefly left the home, she did not anticipate the horrific events that followed.
Benton-Harris returned and confronted the family in the basement. Prosecutors stated he shot Elijah in the back, despite the mother’s attempt to intervene. When she tried to flee, Benton-Harris began firing at her, striking her multiple times. He then fatally shot her daughter, Emoni House, who was four months pregnant with his unborn child, striking her in the right flank, right breast, and mouth.
The mother endured further gunfire, being struck a total of five times — in the back, buttocks, thigh, and twice in the left breast — before she played dead to survive. During the attack, the 19-year-old friend of the family was also shot, first in the leg, then in the neck after attempting to hide in a bathroom.
The attack was both brutal and calculated, leaving lasting trauma for survivors and grief for the victims’ loved ones.
Benton-Harris, who was represented by a public defender during the trial, faced justice after spending 10 years in the Cook County Jail prior to the verdict. The convictions of two murders and two attempted murders bring some measure of closure to a case marked by senseless violence and profound loss.
Victims:
Elijah (son, deceased)
Emoni House (daughter, deceased, 4 months pregnant)
Mother (survived, shot 5 times)
19-year-old friend (survived, shot in leg and neck)
Location: Cook County, Illinois
Case: Violent home shooting / convictions for murder and attempted murder
This tragic case underscores the devastating consequences of gun violence within families and communities, while the verdict serves as a sobering reminder of accountability in the justice system.
