JOLIET, IL — Matthew Rutledge, the 41-year-old Joliet man charged in the non-fatal shooting of a woman and killing 38-year-old Quentin Woods on the sidewalk in Joliet’s Cathedral Area, is letting Will County Judge Carmen Goodman decide his guilt or innocence this week in Courtroom 503. On Wednesday, Will County prosecutors called a handful of witnesses to testify, neighbors who recalled hearing the gunshots on the afternoon of the deadly shooting.
Rutledge is being represented by prominent downtown Joliet criminal defense attorney Chuck Bretz. Bretz contends that his client acted in self-defense, of himself, others, and or his property, at the time of the shootings of Woods and 35-year-old Tiffany Williams.
For the past three-and-a-half years, Rutledge has lived in his Will County Jail cell since Dec. 21, 2019 where his bail stands at $2.5 million. The Joliet killing happened right by Rutledge’s house in the 800 block of Sherwood Place.
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At the time of the outdoors homicide, Joliet Patch reported that when the Joliet Fire Department ambulance crews arrived on the scene of Friday’s mid-afternoon shooting, they found a man dead on the sidewalk with multiple gunshot wounds.
As for Williams, she suffered one gunshot wound. The fire department took her by ambulance to St. Joe’s, and she was in fair condition at the time of the transport.
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According to court documents filed in recent days by the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office, Tiffany Williams has known and was in a relationship with Rutledge since August 2019. The relationship between Williams and the first-degree murder defendant was sexual and involved the use of narcotics, specifically PCP.
Williams and Rutledge repeatedly ingested PCP together, court records reflect.
On the day of the murder and attempted murder, Dec. 20, 2019, Rutledge drove Williams somewhere to purchase PCP, so they could both smoke it, according to prosecutors.
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The trial will resume around 10:30 a.m. Thursday in Courtroom 503.
Related Joliet Patch coverage:
5 Charges Filed In Deadly Shooting Near Cathedral
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