‘Laken Riley 2.0’; Networks Barely Cover Latest Alleged Murder by an Illegal Immigrant

Curtis Houck
March 23rd, 2026 8:01 PM

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Early Thursday, 18-year-old Loyola University Chicago student Sheridan Gorman was murdered by a gunman on a Lake Michigan pier while walking with friends. More disturbing details arose Saturday night when Fox’s Matt Finn revealed the suspect was 25-year-old illegal alien from Venezuela who reportedly arrived during the Biden border crisis. Unsurprisingly, it took days for the major broadcast networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC to want to mention that on their flagship morning or evening newscasts.

This heinous killing — which Finn’s colleague Bill Melugin dubbed “Laken Riley 2.0” — was previously covered by ABC and NBC, but it wasn’t until Monday night that any of them mentioned the crucial details about the suspect.

Monday’s CBS Evening News and NBC Nightly News barely covered it with news briefs tallying 32 and 23 seconds, respectively:

In CBS’s case, this marked the first time the murder was even mentioned. Anchor Tony Dokoupil noted the suspect is “a Venezuelan national in the country illegally with a prior warrant for his arrest tied to shoplifting charges” and that Gorman’s family had released a statement blasting the lax “policies and failures that allowed this individual to remain in a position to commit this crime.”

NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas called the development “a big update” and also relayed the same portion of the Gorman family statement denouncing the fact that Medina was even allowed to be out on the streets. If it’s such a “big” deal, why did you bury it, NBC?

Shamefully, ABC’s World News Tonight was the only one to give a full report to this latest example of illegal immigrant crime following the Biden border crisis:

Here was the full segment as it aired from anchor David Muir and correspondent Rhiannon Ally. Crucially, ABC was the only network to mention the fact that the illegal alien’s first court appearance has been put on indefinite hold because he was diagnosed with tuberculosis (really) (click “expand”):

MUIR: Back here in the U.S. tonight to the student from Loyola University Chicago who was shot and killed while walking with a group of her friends. A suspect tonight now charged and Homeland Security now saying he is in the country illegally. Here's Rhiannon Ally.

ALLY: It was a shocking crime, 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman, a freshman at Loyola University Chicago, was shot to death while walking with friends at a lakeside park. Tonight, an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela has been charged with her murder.

9/11 DISPATCHER: Over at the beach, on Pratt, 1045 West Pratt, we got a person shot, and it’s a Loyola student.

ALLY: Official say at 1 a.m. Thursday morning, the group walked onto appear when a masked suspect emerged, dressed in black. As the group fled, Gorman was shot in the back.

LESLIE ZAMARRIPA: We should not be worried about walking to the beach and not expect to just get killed like that.

ALLY: DHS says 25-year-old Jose Medina entered the country illegally in 2023. Gorman's family from Westchester, New York, saying in a statement, “this was a violent and preventable act. We are gravely disappointed by the policies and failures that allowed this individual to remain in a position to commit this crime.” David tonight, the suspect has been hospitalized with tuberculosis, and his first court appearance has been postponed, David.

MUIR: Rhiannon Ally with us tonight. Rhiannon, thank you.

Rewinding back to the weekend, Sunday’s NBC Nightly Newshad the gall to cover it for 98 seconds, but hid from viewers the crucial details about the suspect.

Sunday anchor Hallie Jackson twice teased the story before telling viewers of “a potential break in the investigation into the death of a Chicago college student shot and killed while out with friends.”

Correspondent Valerie Castro couldn’t have been more vague: “Tonight in Chicago, police revealing a person of interest is now being questioned in connection with the death of Sheridan Gorman, a Loyola University freshman.”

Castro went on:

The death a shock to the close knit campus community in denial...“She was doing something entirely normal,” her family writing, “walking with friends close to home in an area where she had every reason to feel safe,” adding, “our daughter’s life was not expendable. She should still be here.” Friends placing flowers in the area where she died to commemorate her life...Tonight, a community left shattered and a family asking why.

NBC was so convinced this was the way to go that they re-aired Castro’s piece on Monday’s overnight show, Early Today.

Before the details about the suspect had come to light, Friday’s NBC Nightly News spent 97 seconds on the senseless killing and the heartbroken Loyola student body, further rendering Sunday’s update even more galling.

Just over an hour prior to this bombshell about this illegal immigrant (who was also on the streets despite facing shoplifting charges), ABC’s World News Tonight had a 19-second brief on Saturday from Whit Johnson:

Chicago police say they’re questioning a person of interest in the deadly shooting of a college student. 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman was killed early Thursday morning. She had been walking with friends on a lakefront pier not far from Loyola University where she was a freshman. Police say they don’t believe she was the intended target.

All told, the Sunday editions of ABC’s Good Morning America and World News Tonight, the CBS Evening News with Jericka Duncan, and NBC’s Sunday Today couldn’t be bothered to cover the murder, let alone do so accurately. Such was the case on Monday across all three network shows (ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS Mornings, and NBC’s Today).

But what made their silence even more embarrassing was the fact that, on Monday, the little-watched, overnight shows of Good Morning America First Look and CBS News Mornings were able to both cover Gorman’s death and spotlight the reality of migrant crime.

GMA First Look had nearly two minutes, starting with co-host Sophie Flay cutting right to the chase: “We’re back with an arrest in the shocking murder of a college student in Chicago. Federal officials say the suspect entered the U.S. illegally.”

Overnight ABC correspondent Alison Kosik didn’t waste anyone’s time either:

Overnight, authorities announcing an arrest in the murder of Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman. Homeland Security officials say the alleged shooter is 25-year-old Jose Medina, who they say illegally entered the U.S. from Venezuela. They say he was released after being apprehended by Border Patrol back in 2023, and was released again after a shoplifting arrest in Chicago.

Kosik included portions of the Gorman family statement none have covered before or since:

Her family saying, “we will not allow this to be dismissed as ‘wrong place, wrong time.’ This was not random misfortune. This was a violent and preventable act,” adding, “we are gravely disappointed by the policies and failures that allowed this individual to remain in a position to commit this crime.” After a vigil on campus, students are demanding more safety measures.

CBS News Mornings had a 27-second brief from host Michael George about “charges...filed against a Venezuelan migrant in the shooting death of a Loyola University freshman” and that the foreign national “has been living in the U.S. illegally.”

To see the relevant transcripts, click here (for March 20’s NBC Nightly News), here (for March 21’s World News Tonight), here (for March 22’s NBC Nightly News), here (for March 23’s ABC’s Good Morning America First Look), here (for March 23’s CBS News Mornings), here (for March 23’s World News Tonight), here (for March 23’s CBS Evening News), and here (for March 23’s NBC Nightly News).

Editor’s Note: This post has been updated to reflect the coverage on the Monday night network newscasts.

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