Homicide Watch Chicago

Sixteen-year-old Djuan Williams was fatally shot while walking in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side Wednesday evening.

The boy was walking in the 5300 block of West Huron about 6:12 p.m. when one or more people walked up and shot him in the chest, Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. The assailants then ran away.

Williams, who lived in the 4900 block of West Thomas Street, was taken to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, where he later died, authorities said.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Shawndale Neal was found beaten to death Wednesday morning in the North Lawndale neighborhood.

The 39-year-old Neal was discovered with a wound to the head about 7:30 a.m. in an alley near his home in the 1500 block of South Lawndale, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

He was dead at the scene, authorities said.

Police initially said the incident appeared to be a shooting, but an autopsy on Thursday showed Neal died of blunt force head injuries from an assault. His death was ruled a homicide.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Elijah Timatyos (left) and Michael Bembea | Cook County sheriff’s office

By JORDAN OWEN
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Two north suburban men were arrested last month in Arizona and have been charged with beating 71-year-old Allen R. Levin to death in order to rob him in his Albany Park neighborhood home.

Elijah Timatyos, 23; and Michael Bembea, 24, both face charges of of first-degree murder, home invasion causing great bodily harm and burglary in connection with the death of Levin, according to Chicago Police. A third suspect has not yet been charged.

Levin was a family friend of Bembea and had provided financial assistance to Bembea’s family in the past, prosecutors said in court Monday. In the days before the murder, Bembea and another person discussed robbing Levin because of their own money problems.

Bembea and the other person drove a white Honda Civic from Phoenix, where they were living, to Chicago, prosecutors said. During the trip, the Civic was stopped by police in Wheeler County, Texas, for a traffic violation, prosecutors said. The stop was recorded on surveillance video.

When they arrived in Chicago, Bembea and the other person stayed with a friend, and once again discussed robbing Levin. Between Jan. 24 and Jan. 25, Bembea, Timatyos and the third person drove to Levin’s home in the 4800 block of North Ridgeway. Surveillance video caught the Civic circling the block, prosecutors said.
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By JORDAN OWEN
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Veteran cab driver Kamil Shamji was found shot to death inside his taxi Monday morning in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the North Side.

The 59-year-old was discovered unresponsive just before 8 a.m. with a gunshot wound to the head inside his cab in the 4400 block of North Leavitt, just behind the Sulzer Regional Library, according to Chicago Police.

Area North detectives are conducting a homicide investigation.

He was identified by Cab Drivers United in a statement on its website.

“Kamil Shamji’s murder last night reminds us all of the almost constant danger cab drivers put themselves in everyday when they go to work. Serving every corner of Chicago, their visibility allows them to serve residents and visitors, but at the same time, it makes for easy targets,” according to the statement.
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Elijah Timatyos (left) and Michael Bembea | Cook County sheriff’s office

By ASHLEE REZIN
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Two north suburban men arrested last month in Arizona have been charged with the January beating death of 71-year-old Allen R. Levin in his Albany Park neighborhood home in January.

Elijah Timatyos, 23; and Michael Bembea, 24, both face charges of of first-degree murder, home invasion causing great bodily harm, and burglary in connection with the Jan. 27 incident, according to Chicago Police.

Timatyos and Bembea, both originally from Lincolnwood, were arrested Feb. 20 in Phoenix, Arizona, police said.

About 2 p.m. Jan. 27, officers conducting a well-being check at a home in the 4800 block of North Ridgeway found Levin lying on the ground with visible signs of trauma to the head, neck and body, authorities said at the time.

Levin, who lived in the home, was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. An autopsy found he died of multiple injuries suffered in an assault and his death was ruled a homicide.

On Monday, Timatyos and Bembea were ordered held without bond, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office. Timatyos is next scheduled to appear in court March 15, while Bembea is scheduled for a hearing March 11.

Carlos James Hemphill Jr. died Sunday morning, about 12 hours after he was shot in a drive-by in the Chatham neighborhood on the South Side.

The 33-year-old Hemphill was standing in the 8100 block of South Harvard just after 10 p.m. Saturday when a vehicle drove by and someone inside shot him multiple times in the lower body, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Hemphill, of the 9100 block of South Claremont, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead at 10:26 a.m. Sunday, authorities said.

An autopsy showed he died of a gunshot wound to the pelvis, according to the medical examiner’s office.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

By JEFF MAYES
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

At least nine people were killed in violence in Chicago last week, though one of the deaths is being treated an accident; and the body of a 10th victim was found after he’d been missing by his family for almost two months.

A 33-year-old man died Sunday morning, about 12 hours after being shot in a drive-by in the Chatham neighborhood. Carlos James Hemphill Jr. was critically injured in a shooting in the 8100 block of South Harvard about 10 p.m. Saturday, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. He was taken in critical condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died at 10:26 a.m. Sunday.

One man was killed and another wounded in a Chatham neighborhood shooting early Sunday. The men, both 25, were at a party in the 600 block of East 79th Street about 2:30 a.m. when a fight broke out and someone opened fire, according to police.

Raheem L. Robinson was shot in the abdomen and died at a hospital less than an hour later, according to the medical examiner’s office. He lived in the 400 block of West 103rd Street.

The other man was shot in the right shoulder and his condition was stabilized, police said.

A 34-year-old man who police called a felon and a gang member has been charged with the fatal stabbing of his girlfriend during an argument Saturday night in Bridgeport.
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By MITCHELL ARMENTROUT
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Maurisio Hernandez | Chicago Police

An argument with her boyfriend, who police said is a gang member and a convicted felon, left Maricela Villegas stabbed to death Saturday night in Bridgeport.

Maurisio Hernandez, 34, was charged Monday with first-degree murder, according to Chicago Police. He is being held without bond.

Hernandez stabbed his girlfriend, the 35-year-old Villegas, during an argument in the 2800 block of South Short Street shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Villegas was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she died at 6:28 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office. She died of a stab wound to the neck, and her death was ruled a homicide.

Police said Hernandez, a felon and documented gang member, was arrested at the scene. Both Villegas and Hernandez lived on the block where the attack happened.

HOn Monday, Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. ordered Hernandez held without bond, court records show. He is next scheduled to appear in court Thursday.

Samuel Miller | Chicago Police

Samuel Miller, 30, faces counts of murder and one count of attempted murder for the July 30, 2015, attack in the 8900 block of South Houston, according to Chicago Police.

Lewis, 35, was standing outside his home with a 19-year-old man when someone opened fire from a passing vehicle about 11:40 p.m., according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Witnesses said they heard six shots.

Lewis died at the scene of a gunshot wound to the chest. The younger man was shot in the leg and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where his condition was stabilized, authorities said.

Miller, of the 4200 block of West Maypole, was arrested Friday and Judge Peggy Chiampas ordered him held without bond at a Sunday bearing, according to Cook County Circuit Court records. He is due back in court Monday.

The men were reportedly dating the same woman, and Lewis may have owed MIller money, according to published reports.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Brian Johnson died at a hospital Saturday evening, about three hours after arriving at another hospital with a gunshot wound to the head.

The 18-year-old was shot Saturday afternoon in the Washington Park neighborhood, and showed up at Provident Hospital about 3 p.m. after an attack in the 300 block of East 56th Street, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

He was later transferred to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m., the medical examiner’s office said.

Johnson, whose home address was not immediately known as of Monday morning, wasn’t able to communicate with investigators and additional details on the shooting were not available.

Area Central detectives are conducting a homicide investigation.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire