A Chicago judge is facing criticism after a violent criminal he freed went on to allegedly shoot and kill a city police officer.

Cook County Judge John Lyke Jr. put Alphanso Talley on electronic monitoring just four months before Talley was accused of shooting two officers at Swedish Hospital.

The 26-year-old had been in custody for eight months as he awaited trial for armed carjacking and armed robbery, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

During the release hearing, Lyke told the court he’d seen ‘attitude adjustments’ in Talley as he’d been in and out of the courtroom.  

‘This court has had an opportunity to watch him,’ Lyke said. ‘I have seen attitude adjustments. He came in this court in 2023 extremely angry.’

But in March 2026, Talley missed two curfews. His monitoring device suspiciously shut off. On March 11, he failed to appear in court, prompting Lyke to issue a warrant for his arrest.

But Talley was not detained until Saturday, when he stole cash from an Albany Park dollar store and repeatedly pistol-whipped the clerk, breaking her nose, police said.

Moments later, he allegedly killed Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew and critically wounded his partner.

Judge John Lyke Jr (pictured) released Alphanso Talley in December while he was awaiting trial for armed carjacking and armed robbery

Alphanso Talley, 26, had been in and out of the courtroom for years on various charges

Police allegedly tracked Talley down using a GPS device hidden in the cash. 

According to arrest reports obtained by the Sun-Times, Talley told officers he had swallowed a bag of drugs and was escorted to the hospital. 

It was there that Talley allegedly pulled a gun from his hospital blanket and shot two officers. 

He then shot out a hospital window and ran away naked, police said. He was allegedly found hiding under a porch. 

Talley had previously been charged with possession of a stolen vehicle and battering a correctional officer. Lyke heard both cases.

Talley and Lyke crossed paths again on Tuesday when Talley was meant to be tried for previous arrest warrants, but Lyke pushed the hearings. 

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza criticized Lyke’s forgiving attitude in an interview with the press this week. 

‘No reasonable person breathing should think that it’s OK to put an armed robber carjacker on an electronic monitor and send them on their merry way,’ she said.

According to records obtained by the Daily Mail, Lyke lives in a $500,000 home outside of Chicago, far from the city’s crime-ridden streets. 

Talley allegedly told officers he had ingested drugs and was escorted to a hospital. There, he pulled a gun from his blanket, fired shots and ran away, police said

Police said Talley shot out a window at Swedish Hospital in Chicago and ran away naked

WGNTV reported that Illinois’ SAFE-T Act allowed Lyke to release Talley before his hearing. 

The law eliminated cash bail and shifted focus to ‘pre-trial release’ through which a judge can decide to release a suspect based on their risk. 

‘Presumably he would have had a minimum, collectively, of $1 million bail, and he would have needed $100,000 to get out,’ Lyke said in December. 

‘Our esteemed Legislature says, “No, we’re not going to do that anymore. We’re going to make judges take a critical look at it.”‘

The judge stated that many of Talley’s crimes occurred when ‘his brain wasn’t fully developed.’ 

‘It appears his mind is finally developing and he may be on the path to making better decisions,’ the judge said in December.

Talley’s mother told the Sun-Times that her son struggled with bipolar disorder and had previously been institutionalized. 

Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew was shot and killed Saturday at Swedish hospital in Chicago

The Chicago Police Department honored Bartholomew on their social media pages, saying he was a ‘beloved father, husband, son and brother’

All the while, the police department is mourning the death of Officer Bartholomew, who was a ten-year police veteran.

‘Officer Bartholomew dedicated his life to protecting his fellow Chicagoans,’ read a tribute posted on the department’s social media. 

‘Above all, he was a beloved father, husband, son and brother. We promise to ensure his sacrifice will never be forgotten.’

Talley is set to appear in court again on Thursday with a public defender. He remains in custody.

The Daily Mail contacted the Chicago Police Department, Lyke and the Cook County Public Defender’s Office for comment.