Homicide Watch Chicago

When police investigated an illegally parked car Monday morning in the South Side Auburn Gresham neighborhood, they made a grisly discovery — the bodies of Vogels T. Anderson Jr., Ryan Hamilton and Devontae Watson.

The bodies were found at 7:35 a.m. in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo parked in front of a garage in an alley in the 8600 block of South Throop, according to Chicago Police. One body was found in the front seat, one in the back seat, and one in the truck.

A neighbor had called police to report the car, but no reports of gunshots were made.

Anderson, 20, known to friends as “Stormy,” had been shot in the head, Ryan Hamilton, also 20, had been shot in the neck. Watson, 18, who was known as “Tay,” had been shot multiple times, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. It was unclear exactly when the shootings took place.

Anderson and Watson lived in the Southwest Side Ashburn neighborhood, while Hamilton lived in south suburban Blue Island, the medical examiner’s office said. Autopsies on Tuesday ruled their deaths homicides.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with funeral arrangements for Hamilton.

The post, set up by a cousin, said of Hamilton: “If you knew Ryan you knew he was a big teddy bear loving and funny Ryan loves to take photos he loves fashion he loved his car he was a great person he just wanted to figure out his purpose in life and take care of his mother he was more of a homebody he wasn’t into gangs or the streets …”

Area South detectives are investigating, but no one was in custody as of Wednesday morning.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

By JORDAN OWEN
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

A Southwest Side man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for stabbing 18-year-old Stephanie Serrano to death at his roommate’s birthday party in 2014.

Adan Montano, 40, pleaded guilty to murder March 15 before Judge Mary Margaret Brosnahan, according to Cook County court records.

On the night of Jan. 6, 2014, Montano was acting “strange and belligerent” during his roommate’s birthday party in the 2900 block of West 63rd Street, and was asked to go back to his room, authorities said at the time.

Montano complied after punching his roommate in the back of the head, authorities said. The roommate responded by punching Montano in the face.
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By MITCHELL ARMENTROUT
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Four men were shot and two of them died early Friday at a Washington Park neighborhood gas station on the South Side. The victims have been identified as Lavelle Cox and Jawon C. Carter, both 24.

Officers found the victims just before 2 a.m. in the foyer of the GoLo station in the 100 block of East 51st Street. Witnesses said a gray four-door Chevrolet pulled up and opened fire on the men before taking off north on Indiana Avenue.

Carter, of the Woodlawn neighborhood, was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:55 a.m., authorities said. Cox, of the Grand Boulevard neighborhood, was dead at the scene.

Both died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

A 25-year-old man was shot in both legs and grazed across the head. He was taken in serious condition to Stroger, along with a 64-year-old man who was stabilized with a gunshot wound to the leg, police said.

No one was in custody as Area Central detectives investigated.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay funeral expenses for Cox.

By ASHLEE REZIN
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Quentin Payton and Chaz Johnson were killed and a third man was wounded in a drive-by shooting early Sunday in the North Side Edgewater neighborhood.

Payton, 28, and a 32-year-old man were standing on the sidewalk 12:34 a.m. near a Dunkin’ Donuts in the 6300 block of North Broadway when someone in a passing dark-colored SUV opened fire, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Payton was shot in the head, and was taken to Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, where he was pronounced dead at 1:33 a.m., authorities said. He lived in the West Rogers Park neighborhood.

The 32-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the left leg and was also taken to Saint Francis, where his condition was stabilized, police said.

More than 30 minutes later, the 22-year-old Johnson showed up at Community First Medical Center suffering from a gunshot wound to the left side of his torso, authorities said.

He had been sitting in the back seat of a vehicle when he was shot and investigators eventually determined he was a third victim from the Edgewater incident.

Johnson, of north suburban Evanston, was later transferred to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he died at 8:43 a.m., authorities said.

“Shots were exchanged between an individual associated with a private bus that had stopped and an occupant from a dark-colored SUV,” Ald. Harry Osterman (48th) said in a statement about the shooting. “Chicago Police are investigating this incident, interviewing witnesses and reviewing video footage. Police believe this to be an isolated incident and no members of the community are at risk.”

Rolan T. Johnson was shot to death Saturday night in the Longwood Manor neighborhood on the South Side, according to Chicago Police.

At 10:33 p.m., officers heard shots in the area of the 9500 block of South State Street and found Johnson with gunshot wounds to the chest, neck and head, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. He was the driver of a black Yukon that was stopped at a light, facing north on State.

Johnson, 36, who lived in the Chatham neighborhood, was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:51 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. An autopsy Sunday ruled his death a homicide.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

After being shot in the head Friday evening in the Heart of Chicago neighborhood on the South Side, Miguel Cabrales Vasquez died in a hospital Saturday morning.

About 7:35 p.m. Friday, Cabrales Vasquez was in the 2200 block of West 21st Street when people approached him on foot and opened fire before running away, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Cabrales Vasquez, 24, suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died at 8:52 a.m. Saturday, authorities said. He lived about three blocks from where he was shot.

A GoFundMe page set up to help with funeral expenses had received more than $4,300 in donations in the first 17 hours it was online.

His bother, who set up the campaign, said in the post: “He was a great man, brother, uncle, friend, and the one musketeer we will never stop missing.”

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Jarrod Johnson was killed and a woman wounded in a Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood shooting early Saturday on the South Side, according to authorities.

The victims, both 34, were shot about 5:30 a.m. in the 500 block of East 75th Street, according to Chicago Police. The shooting was preceded by an argument that turned physical, and a person pulled out a gun a fired shots.

Jarrod Johnson was shot in the head and shoulder, and was taken to St. Bernard Hospital by a friend, where he died at 6:03 a.m., police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. He lived in the Roseland neighborhood on the Far South Side.

The woman was shot in the abdomen and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where her condition was stabilized, police said.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

By MATTHEW HENDRICKSON
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving last year, three men were shot while sitting in a vehicle in the South Side Gresham neighborhood. On Friday, one of those men, 23-year-old Alex Strong, died of his injuries.

About 3 1/2 months ago, Strong was one of three people wounded in an afternoon drive-by shooting on Nov. 26, 2016, in the 8700 block of South Wood, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Strong and two other men—ages 23 and 26—were struck by bullets when someone fired at them from a black SUV, authorities said. Strong was sitting inside a vehicle when he was shot in the head. He was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition. His condition was stabilized and he was taken to a long-term care facility.

On Friday, Strong was taken to Mercy Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:23 p.m., the medical examiner’s office said. An autopsy on Saturday found he died of complications from a gunshot wound to the neck and his death was ruled a homicide.

Area South detectives are conducting a death investigation, police said Saturday, but no one is in custody for the shooting.

By RUMMANA HUSSAIN
Chicago Sun-Times

Prosecutors say a man renting a room in Priscilla A. Gloria Reyes’ apartment in Brighton Park shot her and her boyfriend, Edwin Eliseco Chuy Cutzal, to death on Super Bowl Sunday, then fled after calling an Uber driver.

Days before the Feb. 5 murders, Reyes, who often found tenants on Facebook, told a friend she was having problems with her most recent one, Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Craig Taczy said Friday.

The night Reyes and the 31-year-old Cutzal were killed, Reyes asked that friend to come over because the tenant was acting up again, Taczy said.

Reyes’ friend heard someone demanding to know who she was talking to before the phone went dead.

Meanwhile, a witness heard loud banging noises from Reyes’ apartment in the 2500 block of West 46th Street, Taczy said.
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By RUMMANA HUSSAIN
Chicago Sun-Times

Two men were ordered held on $2 million bonds Friday for a drive-by shooting on the Northwest Side late last year that left 28-year-old Crispin Coliz Jr. dead.

The heavily tattooed Santo Lozoya and Jose Martinez were arrested Wednesday at Lozoya’s home, in the 900 block of North Homan Avenue, Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Joseph Carlson said.

Coliz, who had attended the Chicago Bulls game with several others Dec. 16, was shot that night after his killers confronted him at a convenience store at Grace and Harlem, Carlson said.

When Coliz went into the store with two of his friends, Martinez made movements toward his waist implying he had a gun, Carlson said. Then, Lozoya pulled out a weapon and racked the slide back.
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