A Venezuelan migrant, facing charges for the murder of an 18-year-old college student in Chicago, had previously been detained and then released during President Biden’s tenure.
José Medina-Medina was initially detained by U.S. Border Patrol on May 9, 2023, but was subsequently released into the United States, as confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security on Sunday.
Just over a month later, on June 19, 2023, he was arrested for shoplifting but was released once more into the community.
Currently, Medina-Medina is in custody, accused of the fatal shooting of Sheridan Gorman, a freshman at Loyola University. The incident occurred as she was walking with friends along Lake Michigan early Thursday morning.
Wearing a mask and dressed in black, Medina-Medina allegedly approached Gorman and shot her in the head as she tried to run. She was declared dead at the scene.
“Sheridan Gorman had her whole life ahead of her before this cold-blooded killer decided to end her life,” stated Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis.
‘She was failed by open border policies and sanctuary politicians who RELEASED this illegal alien TWICE before he went on to commit this heinous murder,’ she continued.
Bis then went on to call on Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and other ‘sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this criminal illegal alien from jail back into American neighborhoods.’
Jose Medina-Medina, the Venezuelan national accused of killing an 18-year-old college student, was caught by US Border Patrol on May 9, 2023 under the Biden administration, but was released into the United States
He is now in custody for killing Sheridan Gorman, a freshman at Loyola University, as she was walking with her friends along Lake Michigan at around 1.30am on Thursday
The Daily Mail has reached out to Pritzker’s office for comment.
Sheridan grew up in Yorktown Heights, New York, an upper-middle-class suburb in Westchester County, and lived in a $1 million home with her parents until college. She went to Yorktown High School, a highly rated public school in the state.
Her parents, Thomas and Jessica Gorman, have since flown to Chicago to collect her body.
‘Our beloved daughter, Sheridan, was taken from us this morning in Chicago,’ the family said in a statement. ‘There is no way to soften this – this was murder. Sheridan was the light of our lives. She made people feel seen, safe, and loved simply by being who she was.’
‘She lived her faith with kindness, compassion, and joy, and she loved her family and friends deeply.
‘We trusted that she would be safe. That trust was broken. Someone made a deliberate choice that stole our daughter and forever changed our family.’
The family added that they are ‘demanding answers’ and won’t stop fighting until the person responsible for Sheridan’s death is brought to justice.
Just days before her death, the vivacious college student posted a series of photos of her enjoying St Patrick’s Day weekend with her friends in Chicago, with the caption: ‘Where’s my kiss?’
Earlier in March, she wrote a caption now tragic to look back on: ‘Warmer days ahead!’ while posing across the city with her friends.
Sheridan grew up in Yorktown Heights, New York, an upper-middle-class suburb in Westchester County, and lived in a $1 million home with her parents until college (Pictured: Sheridan sits on her bed with Loyola Merch in May 2025, ahead of her first semester in the fall)
The college student is pictured with her mother Jessica Gorman. The mom posts frequently online about her love for her country, veterans, and protecting the American flag – and her daughter showed her love for God and her friends on her Instagram
She often posted about her love for her friends and family, as well as her strong faith in God, with a Bible verse from Corinthians, ‘let all that you do be done in love,’ proudly in her social media description.
Her all-American mother, Jessica, also posts frequently online about her love for her country, veterans, and protecting the American flag.
She proudly announced in May 2025 that her daughter committed to Loyola, a private Jesuit university on the north side of Chicago.
‘So incredibly proud of our sassy yet so sweet Sheridan Grace!’ she wrote in a Facebook post accompanied by a picture of Sheridan surrounded with the college’s merchandise.
‘An absolutely HUGE thanks to all our friends and family for coming over and decking her bed out with all this beautiful maroon and gold merch and all your love and hugs.’
Nearly a year later, in the middle of her second semester, Sheridan was gunned down. Chicago police have said she likely wasn’t the intended target.
Chicago Alderman Maria Hadden, who has been in touch with the police, said Gorman was unfortunately ‘at the wrong place at the wrong time’.
The seemingly random nature of Sheridan’s killing echoes other recent cases that have sparked national attention – including the murder of Laken Riley.
Chicago police have said Gorman (pictured) likely wasn’t the intended target of the shooting
The seemingly random nature of Sheridan’s killing drew comparisons to the 2024 murder of Laken Riley, a nursing student in Georgia
José Ibarra, a then-26-year-old Venezuelan migrant who entered the US illegally, was convicted of brutally murdering Riley in the woods as she was out for a jog. He was sentenced to life in prison
Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was attacked and killed while out for a morning jog on the University of Georgia campus in Athens on February 22, 2024.
Investigators said she was targeted by a man who attempted to sexually assault her. Ultimately, she was killed by blunt force trauma and asphyxiation.
Her body was found later the same day in a wooded area after she failed to return home from her run.
The next day, police arrested José Ibarra, a then-26-year-old Venezuelan migrant who entered the US illegally.
In November 2024, Ibarra was found guilty on all charges and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Nine days into his second term, President Donald Trump signed the Laken Riley Act, which tightened immigration enforcement by mandating the detention of illegal immigrants who have been arrested for crimes such as theft, burglary, shoplifting, or assault on law enforcement.
Ibarra had been arrested twice before he killed Riley: once in New York City for endangering a child and again in Georgia for shoplifting.
