Morse's murder was notable for the young ages of the victim and the killers, and brought further national attention to the plight of children in Chicago's housing projects.
[1] Rankins and Johnson, both minors at the time, were convicted for the murder of Morse and sentenced to five years' imprisonment each.
At around 6-7 P.M. (CDT) that day, Rankins and Johnson took Morse and his eight-year-old brother Derrick Lemon to a vacant apartment on the 14th floor of a high-rise building in the Ida B.
Rankins and Johnson dangled Morse out of a window of the apartment, resisting attempts by Lemon to intervene, and then dropped him.
[4] Morse's death was cited nationally in speeches by politicians including President Bill Clinton[6] and then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.