Springfield, IL — A Springfield man is facing new charges after a Facebook video posted on June 3 showed him holding a gun and mocking a deceased individual using a stolen headstone.

The video, posted by a Facebook user under the name “Duckleworld JP,” shows a man identified by police as Jaiylen J. Plato, age 21, holding a handgun inside a home. The video’s caption read, “Fuck dude dead ass I dug his ass up.” Plato, who has a face tattoo that says “Duckleworld,” is seen tapping the gun against a headstone with the name Shawntel Howze Jr.

Police matched the inside of the home shown in the video to a previous police call at 1223 Poole Street the day before. Both the body camera video and the Facebook clip showed the same drop ceiling with mismatched tiles and the same fake wood flooring.

The handgun in the video had clear front and rear sights, a silver ejection chamber, and other features police say are consistent with a real firearm.

The headstone shown in the video belonged to Shawntel Howze Jr. It included a football, basketball hoop, the nickname “Man Man,” and his birth and death dates. Police say Plato was trying to disrespect Shawntel, who was reportedly part of the SQUAD street gang.

After seeing the video, police watched the home at 1223 Poole. Less than an hour later, Plato was seen leaving the house and walking down the street. Officers arrested him and found a loaded 9mm Ruger SR9 handgun in his pants. The gun had a silver slide, black frame, a round in the chamber, and a loaded magazine. Police say Plato tried to run but was held down and taken into custody.

Police then got a search warrant for the home. Inside, they found the stolen headstone in the living room — the same place it appeared in the video. The headstone was described as very heavy and took two detectives to lift. Plato also had fresh scratches on his knuckles, which police say are consistent with someone digging up and carrying a heavy object. Detectives noted that the house is located near Oak Ridge Cemetery.

At the Springfield Police Department, Plato told detectives he was carrying the gun for protection because the house had recently been shot at.

Plato is a convicted felon with a past conviction for Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon and not having a FOID card. He is also currently on parole.

Plato was just released from the Illinois Department of Corrections on March 7, 2025, and is currently on Mandatory Supervised Release. In that case, he was convicted of possessing two different firearms, and video footage from the incident showed him holding both weapons.

Plato has been charged by the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office with the following offenses: two counts of possession of a weapon by a felon, a Class 2 felony, and one count of defacing or removing a gravestone, a Class 4 felony.