Desmond Gunawardana | Homicide Watch Chicago

Third man charged with botched 2014 home invasion that left Desmond Gunawardana and an accomplice dead

Jeff Mayes — Sun, 07 Feb 2016 13:33:20 -0600

By MITCHELL ARMENTROUT
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Brandon Perkins | Chicago Police

A Tennessee man is the third person charged in connection with a botched 2014 home invasion in Norwood Park that left homeowner Desmond Gunawardana, and their alleged accomplice Miran Cerimagic, dead.

Brandon Perkins, 22, was arrested on a first-degree murder warrant Wednesday for the Sept. 5, 2014, incident in the 5800 block of North Mobile, according to Chicago Police. Brittney Mitchell, 19; and 23-year-old Orhan Cerimagic have been held without bond on murder charges since then, Homicide Watch Chicago reported previously.

Mitchell thought an acquaintance, later identified as the 35-year-old Gunawardana, had a large stash of drugs at his home and schemed to steal them along with Perkins, Orhan Cerimagic and his 20-year-old brother Miran, prosecutors said at Mitchell’s bond hearing in the days after the attack.

Orhan Cerimagic (left) and Brittney Mitchell | Cook County sheriff’s office

She arranged to meet Gunawardana at the home about 10 p.m. and went inside while the other three waited in a car driven by Orhan Cerimagic about a block away, prosecutors said. Mitchell unlocked the back door and texted the others once she had done so, prosecutors said.

Miran Cerimagic and Perkins entered the home with a gun and zip ties that they planned to use to restrain Gunawardana, prosecutors said.

Once inside, a tussle ensued as Miran Cerimagic and Gunawardana grabbed knives and stabbed each other repeatedly, prosecutors said. The resident was stabbed in the neck and pronounced dead at the scene after authorities were called to the home about 11:30 p.m. for a well-being check, authorities said.

The others had ran back to the car and took Miran Cerimagic to Swedish Covenant Hospital, where he later died of his stab wounds, authorities said. He lived in the 6200 block of North Hoyne, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Both the deaths were ruled homicides.

Mitchell initially told police and hospital staff that Miran Cerimagic had been stabbed during a cellphone robbery, but later admitted to taking part in the break-in when detectives couldn’t confirm her story, prosecutors said.

The surviving trio were each charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of home invasion, police said.

Perkins was arrested Wednesday with the help of U.S. Marshals in his hometown of Ridgely, Tennessee, and ordered held without bond at a Saturday hearing, according to Cook County Circuit Court records. He has another court date Monday.

Mitchell, of the 4700 block of North Lamon, is due back in court Wednesday. Orhan Cerimagic, who lived with his brother on Hoyne, has a status hearing March 4.

Comment of the Day: "I did not even have a chance to say goodbye!"

Michael Lansu — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 16:03:26 -0500

Desmond Gunawardana was fatally stabbed during a Sept. 5 home invasion in the Norwood Park community that also left an alleged robber dead. Reader "Adam" posted this about Gunawardana:

I can't even believe that Des is gone! I did not even have a chance to say goodbye!

UPDATE: Brittney Mitchell, Orhan Cerimagic held without bond for Norwood Park home invasion that left two dead

Michael Lansu — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 14:19:11 -0500

Brittney Mitchell / Photo from Chicago Police

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago

A man and woman were each held without bond for their alleged roles in a deadly home invasion gone bad that left both a resident and one of their accomplices dead.

Brittney Mitchell believed an acquaintance, Desmond Gunawardana, had "large amounts of narcotics stashed in his residence" and formulated a plan to steal the drugs with the help of Miran Cerimagic, Orhan Cerimagic and a third man, said Assistant State's Attorney Jamie Santini.

Mitchell, 18, made plans to meet Gunawardana, 35, at his home in the 5800 block of North Mobile Avenue about 10 p.m. Friday, Santini said.

Orhan Cerimagic, 22, drove the group to Gunawardana's home and Mitchell went inside while the other three waited in the car about a block away. Mitchell went inside, unlocked the backdoor and texted Orhan Cerimagic that she had unlocked the backdoor, Santini said.

Miran Cerimagic, 20, and the still uncharged 20-year-old man entered the backdoor with a gun and zip ties they planned to use to restrain Gunawardana, Santini said.

Gunawardana resisted and began to fight Miran Cerimagic, Santini said. Both men grabbed knives and stabbed each other multiple times, he said.

About 11:30 p.m., officers were sent to the home for a well being check and found Gunawardana stabbed to death in the kitchen, authorities said.

Gunawardana was stabbed in the head and neck and died at the scene, authorities said. The death was ruled a homicide.

After the fight, Mitchell Miran Cerimagic and the third man ran back to the car, and Orhan Cerimagic drove his brother to Swedish Covenant Hospital, Santini said.

Miran Cerimagic, of the 6200 block of North Hoyne Avenue, died at the hospital from stab wounds and his death was also ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Santini said Mitchell told police and hospital staff that Miran Cerimagic was stabbed during a robbery. Police said detectives were initially told Cerimagic was walking with his girlfriend in the 6200 block of North Leavitt Street when a group approached and somebody stabbed him during a cellphone robbery, authorities said.

When detectives were unable to confirm the story, Mitchell admitted to her involvement in the robbery and murder of Gunawardana and was arrested, Santini said. Detectives also recovered text messages on her phone alerting Orhan Cerimagic that the backdoor was unlocked.

Orhan Cerimagic / Photo from Chicago Police

Surveillance video shows Orhan Cerimagic driving away immediately after hospital personnel wheeled his brother into the emergency room, Santini said. Based on information from Mitchell, police located Orhan Cerimagic and the car at his home in the 6200 block of North Hoyne Avenue.

Santini claims Orhan Cerimagic told another person he was going to rob Gunawardana and later called that same person to say "things went bad."

Mitchell and Orhan Cerimagic were each charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of home invasion, police said.

Mitchell lives with her mother in the 4700 block of North Lamon Avenue, her lawyer said. She has a GED but is currently not working.

Orhan Cerimagic graduated from Amundsen High School and attended University of Illinois for more than a year before leaving for financial reasons, his lawyer said. He had been working two retails jobs.

On Monday, Judge Donald Panarese ordered both Mitchell and Orhan Cerimagic held without bond and issued a next court date of Sept. 26.

WEEK IN REVIEW: Ten killed in Chicago violence

Michael Lansu — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 09:19:04 -0500

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

At least 10 people were killed in slayings throughout Chicago last week.

One man was stabbed to death and six people were fatally shot over the weekend, when 19 others were wounded by gunfire.

The most recent killing happened when a restaurant security guard shot and killed an allegedly intoxicated 36-year-old man with a knife in the 4500 block of North Kedzie Avenue about 4 a.m. Sunday, police said. His name has not yet been released by the Cook County medical examiner's office.

On Saturday, police found 23-year-old Edward Davis shot on a sidewalk in the 4500 block of South Evans Avenue about 10 p.m., authorities said.Davis, of the 5200 block of South Carpenter Street, was declared dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital at 10:35 p.m. Saturday, according to the medical examiner’s office.

In the West Englewood neighborhood, 19-year-old Shaquille Holmes was standing with a group in the 7300 block of South Damen Avenue when a gunman exited a car and opened fire about 9 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.

Holmes, of the 7800 block of South Burnham Avenue, was shot multiple times and died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County at 9:51 p.m. Saturday, authorities said. Two other people were wounded, but survived, police said.

In the West Town community, 19-year-old Christopher Guadarrama was shot during a fight in the 1300 block of West Chicago Avenue about 4:10 a.m. Saturday, authorities said.

Guadarrama, of an unidentified home address, was shot in the chest and his friends drove him to Stroger Hospital at 5:34 a.m. Saturday, authorities said.

In the North Lawndale neighborhood, 64-year-old Nabil Batroukh was shot when two males tried to rob him as he left a store in the 1500 block of South Lawndale Avenue about 3 a.m. Saturday, authorities said.

Batroukh, of the 7700 block of West 79th Street, was shot in the chest and later died at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to the medical examiner’s office.

On Friday, Miran Cerimagic, Orhan Cerimagic and Brittney Mitchell allegedly broke into a home in the 5800 block of North Mobile Avenue, authorities said. Miran Cerimagic and 35-year-old resident Desmond Gunawardana were fatally stabbed during an ensuing altercation, authorities said.

Orhan Cerimagic and Brittney Mitchell have been charged for both murders.

Near Midway Airport, police found 24-year-old Giovanni Galindo shot in the head in the 6200 block of South Kilpatrick Avenue about 5:10 p.m. Friday, authorities said. Galindo, of the 10300 block of South Karlov Avenue in Oak Lawn, was declared dead at the scene, according to the medical examiner’s office.

In the Logan Square community, 21-year-old Decari Spivey was shot while in a car that was exiting the Kennedy Expressway (I-90) at Armitage Avenue about 2:10 a.m. Friday, authorities said.

Spivey, of the 200 block of North Keeler Avenue, was shot in the head and died at Stroger Hospital at 6:58 p.m. Friday, according to the medical examiner’s office.

On Thursday, 22-year-old Nigell D. Vazquez was shot while standing on a porch in the in the 8600 block of South Ingleside Avenue in the Chatham neighborhood about 8:30 p.m., authorities said.

Vazquez, of an unidentified home address, died about an hour later at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to the medical examiner's office.

The killing started early Monday when 22-year-old Oscar Rodriguez was shot while sitting with a group on a porch in the 4300 block of West 25th Place in the Little Village neighborhood about 2:50 a.m., authorities said.

Rodriguez, of the 4900 block of South Winchester Avenue, was shot in the head and died at Mount Sinai Hospital Tuesday afternoon, authorities said. A 17-year-old boy was also critically wounded during the attack.

Additionally, two men died last week from earlier shootings.

Antoine Stewart, 51, died Thursday afternoon from injuries suffered in a domestic-related shooting Aug. 31 at his home in the 9500 block of South Oglesby Avenue, authorities said. A 27-year-old woman was also wounded, police said.

Brian Johnson, 56, of the 9100 block of South May Street, died Tuesday from a June 17 stabbing in the 1000 block of West 87th Street, according to the medical examiner's office. An autopsy confirmed he died of complications from a stab wound to the abdomen, and his death was ruled a homicide.

Overall, the medical examiner’s office has ruled at least 292 Chicago deaths in 2014 a homicide — including 12 people killed by police.

Chicago Police, which counts murders different, have ruled some of those homicides as involuntary manslaughter, justified self-defense or accidents.