19-year-old man charged with killing Petro Rymar while robbing the victim's coin shop in Irving Park

Jeff Mayes — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 17:11:04 -0500

By JORDAN OWEN
Chicago Sun-Times

Jonathon Herrera | Chicago Police

A Northwest Side man was ordered held without bond Friday for the murder of a56-year-old Petro Rymar inside the victim's shop the Northwest Side Irving Park neighborhood.

Jonathon Herrera, 19, of the 5300 block of North Lovejoy was charged with first-degree murder, burglary and armed robbery, according to Chicago Police.

About 5 p.m. April 1, Herrera was buzzed into Bart's Coins & Collectibles in the 3900 block of North Pulaski by the 56-year-old Rymar, who owned the shop, prosecutors said at Herrera's bond hearing Friday.

Once inside, he stabbed Rymar several times in the chest and abdomen with a "sharp instrument," prosecutors said. He then stole several items from the store's vault, broke a window with a stool and jumped out.

Multiple witnesses outside the store saw him leave through the window, prosecutors said. Someone called 911 and officers forced their way into the store and found Rymar unresponsive on the floor in the back office.

Rymar, of the 4900 block of North Avers, was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Police initially said he had been shot, but an autopsy found he died of multiple sharp force injuries and his death was ruled a homicide.

A bloody fingerprint from an item in the vault, and another on the broken window, were matched to Herrera by the Illinois State Police crime lab, prosecutors said. He had pawned or sold the items stolen from the shop.

A week before the murder, Herrera burglarized another store on the Northwest Side, prosecutors said.

On March 24, he entered through the roof of Archie's Precious Metals in the 5500 block of West Devon Avenue while the shop was closed and stole numerous items, putting them into garbage bags, prosecutors said.

Video surveillance caught the burglary, and a store employee recognized Herrera, who had pawned an item at the store and given them his ID, prosecutors said.

Herrera was arrested at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the 5700 block of West Higgins, authorities said. He was ordered held without bond Friday.

Family members of Rymar have set up a YouCaring page to try to raise enough money to have his body flown back to the Ukraine for burial.

Jonathon Herrera | Homicide Watch Chicago

19-year-old man charged with killing Petro Rymar while robbing the victim's coin shop in Irving Park