Cesar Nieves | Homicide Watch Chicago

Girlfriend: 'It's not fair that my son lost his father'

Michael Lansu — Wed, 28 May 2014 14:21:34 -0500

BY SUSAN DU
Homicide Watch Chicago

Cesar Nieves' family and friends remember the father of four as a caring, big-hearted man whose primary motivation was the well-being of his children.

During an anti-violence march through the Little Village neighborhood last Friday, Nieves' girlfriend and 10-year-old son joined community members in a moment of silence at the site of his murder.

Nieves, 34, was fatally shot about 3:25 a.m. May 10 on the corner of West 28th Street and South Kedvale Avenue. He was dead at the scene and several people told officers they recognized Nieves because the hat “he wears every day” was laying next to his body.

His girlfriend, Imelda Torres, watched the police investigation from afar with family members.

"He's a caring person. Whoever he could help, he was there," Torres said. "And he had a good sense of humor. He was always making people laugh, even if you didn't know him. He was a people person."

Torres and Nieves were in a relationship for 11 years, up to the day he died. They were childhood sweethearts split up when Nieves was sent back to Mexico for getting into trouble in his youth. But Torres and Nieves stayed in touch by exchanging letters and eventually they had a son together, Cesar Nieves Jr.

Nieves also had legal trouble as an adult. He was convicted on a 2001 robbery charge, a 2007 drug charge and 2008 drug and battery to police officer charges, according to Cook County court records. He was sentenced to boot camp and probation in the first two cases.

Despite the legal troubles, Nieves' family was the most important thing in the world to him, said Torres' sister, Lucia Arteaga. She remembered him as a funny child who was "always cracking jokes."

"He always talked about his kids," Arteaga said.

Nieves' goals in life were to "be a better father, be with his kids more." Deep down he was a good person, though not many people realized that about him in life, she added.

Without Nieves, Torres is trying to be strong for Cesar Jr., and the boy is trying to be strong for his mother, Artega said. Both still have a difficult time talking about the murder.

"I've been through the same thing with a prior relationship," she said. "I just tell her, 'You don't what, things are going to get easier. You will always remember him and especially during the holidays, Father's Day... but as time passes by it gets easier.'"

Cesar Nieves / Family Photo

When Nieves wasn't with his family, he was with his friends and often talked about basketball, family said.

Cesar Jr. wanted to grow up to be an NBA player and said his dad wholeheartedly supported him. The boy's favorite things to do with his father were to go to the movies, go out to eat at Denny's and play basketball in the park. Nieves would help Cesar Jr. with his homework, and when the boy's grades slipped, Nieves would tell him study with the phrase, "Crunch time," Cesar Jr. said.

But the most important thing his father taught him was "To be a good man and always respect people no matter what," Cesar Jr. said.

Since his father's death, Cesar said he now has a second ambition in life -- to become a police officer.

Torres said Cesar's counselor at school told him to keep himself distracted, and he's taken that advice to heart. But sometimes he does forget the reality of his father's death. The other day when the doorbell rang and he ran to answer it thinking Nieves had come home.

"It's not fair that my son lost his father," Torres said. "Hopefully something happens that will get through to the people and things change. Now I'm afraid that because his dad's not here, as he gets older how he's going to react to stuff. That's why I'm going to try to be closer with him and try to get more connection with him than what I already have."

Nobody has been charged for Nieves murder. Area Central detectives are investigating.

WEEK IN REVIEW: Eight shot dead throughout Chicago

Michael Lansu — Mon, 12 May 2014 10:01:19 -0500

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

Six men and two women were fatally shot in Chicago last week.

Four of the murders happened over the weekend, when 18 other people were wounded by gunfire, authorities said.

The most recent murder happened when 15-year-old Vaughn Holeman was fatally shot about 3:40 p.m. Sunday in the 200 block of West 116th Street, authorities said. Detectives are questioning a juvenile for Holeman's murder, police said.

Holeman, of the 400 block of West 115th Street, died at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn less than an hour later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

On Saturday, 25-year-old Xavier Tripp was walking on a sidewalk in the 4100 block of West Adams Street when a vehicle pulled up and at least one person got out and shot him about 1:35 p.m., authorities said.

Tripp, of the 1500 block of North Long Avenue, died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County at 2:15 p.m. Saturday, according to the medical examiner’s office.

In the Little Village neighborhood, 34-year-old Cesar Nieves was fatally shot in the 4100 block of West 28th Street at 3:24 a.m. Saturday, authorities said.

Nieves, of the 2800 block of South Kedvale Avenue, was dead at the scene, according to the medical examiner’s office.

On Friday, Summer Moore was shot and killed in the 11400 block of South Aberdeen Street, apparently by a bullet meant for someone else, according to the police and relatives.

The 37-year-old mother of three and other relatives had gathered at an aunt’s home in Morgan Park to celebrate a teenage relative’s prom send-off, family said. Moore, of the 3100 block of West Marquette Road, was shot in the chest and died at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, authorities said.

In the Calumet Heights neighborhood, 22-year-old William Lomax was fatally shot while traveling in a car in the 9300 block of South Stony Island Avenue about 11:40 a.m. Friday, authorities said.

Lomax, of the 10000 block of South Yates Avenue, was driven to a restaurant in the 8800 block of South Stony Island Avenue, where emergency crews took him to Stroger Hospital, authorities said. He died about an hour later.

On Tuesday, 18-year-old Jajuan Porter was shot dead in the 7900 block of South Vincennes Avenue, authorities said. A 26-year-old man was also wounded in the shooting.

Family said Porter was inside a restaurant when he was shot. Emergency crews found Porter, of the 600 block of East 131 Street, dead on the street, authorities said.

On the West Side, 20-year-old Chasteddy Blocker was shot in the 1500 block of South Central Park Avenue about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said. A 34-year-old man was also wounded in the shooting.

Blocker, 20, who lived on the block, was shot in the back and died at Mount Sinai Hospital a short time later, authorities said.

The killings started about 7:30 p.m. Monday when 29-year-old Gerlad Calhoun and a 35-year-old man were shot while riding in a vehicle near South Morgan and West 59th streets, authorities said.

Calhoun, of the 700 block of West 59th Street, died from a gunshot wound to the chest less than an hour later at Stroger Hospital, authorities said.

Nobody has been charged in any of the murders.

Overall, the medical examiner’s office has ruled at least 125 Chicago deaths in 2014 a homicide — including six people killed by police.

Additionally, the state’s attorney’s office filed first-degree murder charges against a speeding motorist who killed an off-duty police officer while trying to flee police even though the autopsy ruled the death an accident.

Chicago Police, which counts murders different, have ruled at least eight of the homicides as involuntary manslaughter, justified self-defense or accidents.

Cesar Nieves fatally shot on Little Village street

Michael Lansu — Sat, 10 May 2014 20:56:14 -0500

Cesar Nieves was shot to death early Saturday in the Little Village neighborhood.

Emergency personnel found the 34-year-old man in the 4100 block of West 28th Street at 3:24 a.m., police said.

Nieves, of the 2800 block of South Kedvale Avenue, was dead at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

More than a dozen people gathered on the corners of West 28th Street and South Kedvale Avenue as police investigated.

The man’s uncovered body could be seen lying face up on the sidewalk on the southwest corner -- adjacent to a boarded up single-story building tagged with gang graffiti.

As police investigated, several people told officers they knew the man and the hat “he wears every day” was laying next to his body.

Nobody has been charged in the murder.

Area Central detectives are investigating.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire