PRINCETON, Ill. (KWQC) – Caleb Conrath was just around the corner from his 18th birthday when his family and police say his life need abruptly and violently.
The Princeton Police Department, with help from the U.S. Marshal\u2019s Service, is still searching for Davijon Robinson, 18, of Kewanee, who is wanted in Conrath\u2019s death.
\u201cI think people in Kewanee know where he\u2019s at, and people in Chicago know where he\u2019s at,\u201d Police chief Thomas Krammer told TV6 Investigates this week.
Conrath was someone with big dreams and a lot of energy, his mother, Tasha Hilmes, said.
\u201cI have to get up to go to work about 5 a.m., and he\u2019s usually still up,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019d tell him \u2018I love you, go to bed.\u2019\u201d
He wanted to be a professional skateboarder, Hilmes said.
\u201cSkateboarding was his life,\u201d she said.
To Alex Taylor-Marandola, Conrath was a positive, upbeat person with a lot of friends.
\u201cHe was just a people person,\u201d Marandola said. \u201cHe liked being around people, liked making everybody happy, liked seeing people smile.\u201d
People liked being around him, too, Hilmes said. She said she allowed her son to bring his friends over to the house whenever he wanted.
\u201cI do have an open-door policy,\u201d Hilmes said. \u201cI do let people come in and out.\u201d
Her open-door policy would usually provide him and his friends a safe space to hang out in. In this case, however, the policy allowed danger to come inside.
Robison was a familiar face to Hilmes and had been over to the house before.
However, when he came over on July 1, Hilmes said she felt suspicious.
\u201cEvery time someone comes in, they always say \u2018hi\u2019 to me and everything,\u201d she said. \u201cThat day, he didn\u2019t, and I knew something was up.\u201d
A juvenile, who has not been identified, drove Robinson to Conrath\u2019s house in a
dark Nissan Altima and parked outside. Police say the juvenile was waiting in the car while Robinson went inside.
Hilmes said she didn\u2019t think anything of her suspicion until she started to hear a fight.
\u201cNext thing I know, I heard \u2018stop it, stop it,\u2019 and then I heard a gunshot,\u201d Hilmes said. \u201cThen I heard another gunshot, and that\u2019s when I got up, and that\u2019s when I got shot when I went to the back bedroom.\u201d
Conrath was shot three times, and Hilmes was struck once in the right shoulder.
\u201cThe one that killed him was the one after I got shot,\u201d she said. \u201cHe jumped over me to go get [Robinson], and he got shot again, and that\u2019s the one that killed him.\u201d
According to Hilmes, Robinson was in the house for 13 minutes before fleeing away in the Nissan with the unknown minor.
Princeton police say they learned Robinson and his accomplice were headed towards Kewanee, and it wasn\u2019t long before the car was located by Kewanee police.
\u201cThey were able to spot it coming into town, and when they tried to effect the traffic stop on it, they fled,\u201d Krammer said. \u201cThey then drove the car into a wooded area, where they bailed out and ran. The juvenile later turned himself in, and Davijon has not been seen since.\u201d
Gone just as quickly as he came, Conrath\u2019s family said Robinson is still out there living his life somewhere while they are left blindsided and waiting for answers.
\u201cWhat possessed him to do that? I mean, for what reason,\u201d Taylor-Mandola said.
Police are just as baffled by the brutality of the situation over a young boy who they claim had little history or trouble with the law.
\u201cHe shot and killed this kid,\u201d Krammer said. \u201cHe shot him three times, then he shot his mother.\u201d
This is why Princeton police believe Robinson is armed, dangerous, and a threat to have on the streets.
Hilmes said she is left without a sense of closure to fully grieve the loss of her son.
\u201cI now realize when I see this on the news how other parents feel,\u201d she said. \u201cI never thought it would happen to me until that day. So [Robinson] needs to be caught. He needs to get off the streets before it happens to somebody else.\u201d
\u201cHe just gets to live his normal life and run around, do what he wants, and we are stuck here still grieving over it,\u201d Taylor-Marandola said.
Police believe Robinson is somewhere in Kewanee, Chicago, or Georgia.
Princeton police ask anyone who knows of Robinson\u2019s whereabouts to call them or the U.S. Marshals Service at 563-289-3454 or 1-800-336-0102.
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