Man Accused in Gas Station Homicide to Be Moved to Medical Ward

A Park Forest man accused in the shooting death of a Chicago Heights man over a rental dispute will be moved to the medical ward of the Cook County Department of Corrections.

Prosecutors have charged Joyner with two felony counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and eight felony counts of murder in the shooting death of 40-year-old Robert Fortson.

Sam Adam Jr., the defense attorney for 60-year-old Dennis Joyner, told Cook County Judge Darron E. Bowden during a preliminary hearing in the Markham courthouse Wednesday, Oct. 3 that Joyner has a defibrillator in his chest and suffers from severe gout.

Adam recently joined the case and appeared in court next to the unshaven Joyner, clad in bright yellow Department of Corrections garb. The judge granted the request to allow a doctor to see Joyner, who has been in custody since the Sept. 11 shooting and was denied bail.

Authorities say Joyner, a retired state trooper, was in a dispute with Fortson over a rental property that Joyner owned. The dispute ended with Joyner shooting Fortson several times at the Mobil gas station in the 400 block of Lincoln Highway, according to police.

Adam told Patch Joyner will plead not guilty to the charges at his arraignment, which has been scheduled for Oct. 16. He declined further comment, saying he had just recently received the case.

Family who attended Joyner's appearance, including his daughter, also declined comment.