Nadia Ezaldein | Homicide Watch Chicago

Authorities: Gun used in Downtown Nordstrom murder-suicide falsely reported stolen

Michael Lansu — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 20:46:36 -0600

Nina Dones / Photo from Chicago Police

BY GEORGE SLEFO AND LUKE WILUSZ
Sun-Times Media

A Skokie woman who once owned the gun used in a murder-suicide at a Downtown Nordstrom on Black Friday has been charged with disorderly conduct for falsely reporting it stolen.

Nina Dones, 23, reported the semi-automatic pistol had been stolen from her Skokie apartment in September, according to a Skokie police official with knowledge of the investigation.

After the murder-suicide, the gun was traced back to Dones and Chicago Police arrested her Friday, authorities said. She was charged with disorderly conduct for filing a false police report, according to the source and court records.

Dones was ordered held on $10,000 bond Saturday.

On Nov. 28, Marcus Dee, 31, walked into the accessories department of the store about 8:30 p.m. and shot his ex-girlfriend, 22-year-old Nadia Ezaldein, before turning the gun on himself, authorities said.

Dee was pronounced dead at the scene, and Ezaldein, a seasonal employee at the store, died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital the next day.

UPDATE: Nordstrom shooter’s sister says couple were ‘soul mates’

Michael Lansu — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 22:45:05 -0600

Marcus Dee (left) and Nadia Ezaldein (right) / Submitted photo

BY JON SEIDEL
Chicago Sun-Times

Marcus Dee left a diary behind in the safe under his bed, his sister said.

It was full of love poems.

Dee wrote some. But mostly, they were penned by Nadia Ezaldein. And she was “brilliant,” Candice Dee said.

In the composition notebook to the man who would one day violently take her life before taking his own, Ezaldein wrote, “a ring can’t define us.”

“Nadia and Marcus were together,” Candice Dee said. “And they were very, very much in love.”

With those comments, Candice Dee broke her family’s silence Monday. She spoke to the Chicago Sun-Times three days after police said Marcus Dee, 31, walked into the Michigan Avenue Nordstrom on one of the busiest shopping days of the year, fatally shot 22-year-old Ezaldein and took his own life. It was Ezaldein’s birthday.

Immediately after the shooting, Ezaldein’s family said Dee had subjected the University of Chicago student to “months and months of psychological torment” before killing her. Ezaldein’s sister accused Marcus Dee of cracking Ezaldein’s ribs, breaking her jaw and putting a gun in her mouth in court records that became available Monday.

But all of that clashed with Candice Dee’s loving description of her brother, the man she said was “caring” and “wonderful” and had “one of the biggest hearts you’ve ever seen.”

Ezaldein’s family has said the couple split in December 2013, but Candice Dee insisted their final breakup came only two weeks ago.

She acknowledged that her brother had a temper. She said Ezaldein’s father stood in the way of the couple’s relationship.

Nadia Ezaldein / Submitted photo

And in the end, Candice Dee said Ezaldein had “done some things” to push him away that Marcus Dee couldn’t accept.

She wouldn’t elaborate on the details of her brother’s final days.

“They were, I guess, soul mates,” Candice Dee said of the couple. “She read him. She understood him. But she couldn’t make certain parts of him better. He couldn’t be good enough for her parents. She knew that. And it ruined him. And it ruined them.”

Candice Dee acknowledged the mother and stepfather who raised them are Chicago police officers. But Supt. Garry McCarthy told reporters Monday that didn’t stop Ezaldein from telling authorities about Marcus Dee’s alleged abuse.

“There was actually an incident the week before,” McCarthy said. “And we’re looking into the circumstances of that incident. So whoever’s saying that she was afraid to come forward, she did come forward.”

McCarthy didn’t elaborate, but a police source said Marcus Dee was accused of punching a male acquaintance of Ezaldein’s on Nov. 22. McCarthy said investigators are now looking into the background of Marcus Dee, who he said had a valid FOID card “at one time.” A source also said the gun used in the shooting was not a police service weapon.

Meanwhile, court records show Marcus Dee and Ezaldein’s sister traded violent allegations in April as each sought a no-contact order against the other.

In his, Marcus Dee claimed Ezaldein’s sister threatened to come to Chicago and have him arrested. He said she threatened to take out a restraining order against him “to get me kicked out of the Army.”
He said she threatened to have her brother kill him, and he said she told him in a voicemail he’s “a dead motherf – – – – -.” The petition was denied by Cook County Judge Cynthia Ramirez.

The next day, Ezaldein’s sister filed her own petition accusing Marcus Dee of dealing drugs and weapons. She said he threatened to send private photos and videos to her father and brother. She said he called her a whore, spit in her face, threatened to kill her and smashed Ezaldein’s phone.

Finally, she said Marcus Dee cracked Ezaldein’s ribs, broke her jaw, ripped her clothing, tore her jacket with a switch knife, ripped her boots, bruised her lip, threw her clothing out a window and put a gun in her mouth.

Marcus Dee / Submitted photo

Cook County Judge Caroline Kate Moreland denied the sister’s petition.

Despite the court filings, Candice Dee said her brother and Ezaldein rarely fought. When they did, “it was bad.”

“I know it’s a really ugly situation,” she said. “But they loved each other so much.”
Mostly, she said they laughed and hung out. And she said their best friend was Candice Dee’s 9-year-old daughter.

Ezaldein called the little girl the couple’s “happy place,” Candice Dee said.

Then, before Marcus Dee left his sister’s sight for the final time, he told his sister “you’re the only thing I’ve ever had.”

When she wanted to see him, he told her she could look into her daughter’s eyes.

“Because I live through her,” he said.

-- Contributing: Stefano Esposito

McCarthy: 'There was actually an incident the week before' Marcus Dee fatally shot Nadia Ezaldein at Downtown Nordstrom

Michael Lansu — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 16:46:31 -0600

Nadia Ezaldein / Submitted photo

BY JON SEIDEL
Chicago Sun-Times

The University of Chicago student gunned down at a downtown department store on Black Friday complained to police in the past about the ex-boyfriend who fatally shot her Friday, Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said.

McCarthy made his comment Monday when asked whether 22-year-old Nadia Ezaldein was afraid to report the abuse she suffered at the hands of 31-year-old Marcus Dee.

McCarthy confirmed Dee was the son of Chicago Police officers, but he said that didn't stop the woman from going to the authorities.

"There was actually an incident the week before," McCarthy said. "And we're looking into the circumstances of that incident. So whoever's saying that she was afraid to come forward, she did come forward. So that's, that's just fact."

McCarthy did not elaborate on the incident he mentioned, nor would a Chicago Police spokesman. McCarthy said investigators are looking into the background of Dee, who he said had a valid FOID card "at one time."

Meanwhile, court records show Ezaldein's sister accused Dee in April of cracking Ezaldein's ribs, stabbing her jacket and putting a gun in her mouth. Dee and Ezaldein's sister traded those and other allegations last spring as each sought protective orders against the other. In both cases, a Cook County judge dismissed the petition the day it was filed.

Friday night, on one of the busiest shopping days of the year, Dee walked into the accessories department at the Nordstrom at Michigan and Grand avenues where Ezaldein worked, “exchanged words” with her and opened fire, authorities said. Dee shot Ezaldein in the head or neck, then turned the gun on himself and died inside the store.

It was Ezaldein’s birthday, her family said.

Scene where Nadia Ezaldein was fatally shot / Photo by Eric Clark

Dee sought a no-contact order April 7 against Ezaldein’s sister, who is from Florida. He claimed the sister threatened to come to Chicago and have him arrested. He also said she threatened to take out a restraining order against him “to get me kicked out of the Army.”

She threatened to have a family member kill him, he said.

Finally, he claimed she called and told him by voicemail he is “a dead motherf-----.”

Cook County Judge Cynthia Ramirez denied his petition.

Then, on April 8, Ezaldein’s sister petitioned for her own no-contact order against Dee. She accused him of dealing drugs and weapons, and she said he threatened to send private photos and videos to her father and brother.

She said he called her a whore, spit in her face, threatened to kill her and smashed Ezaldein’s phone.

The sister also claimed that, in March, Dee cracked Ezaldein’s ribs, broke her jaw, ripped her clothing, stabbed her jacket with a switch knife, ripped her boots, bruised her lip, threw her clothing out the window and put a gun in her mouth. Finally, she said he called in April and threatened to kill himself because she had gotten the cops involved.

Despite multiple attempts, Dee's parents have not been reached for comment.
Ezaldein’s sister said Dee also sent her text messages claiming to be Ezaldein, even though Ezaldein was with her.

Cook County Judge Caroline Kate Moreland denied the sister’s petition.
Dee and Ezaldein’s sister each claimed in their petitions to have filed a police report.

Ezaldein’s sister, who asked that her name not be used, has previously said Ezaldein dated Dee from August 2012 until she broke up with him in December 2013. But she said Dee continued to abuse her sister after that.

Marcus Dee / Submitted photo

Another woman who sought an order of protection against Dee in 2007 told the Chicago Sun-Times she suffered similar abuse while dating Dee. The woman, who asked that her name not be used, said she dated Dee for three months that year. She said if she upset him or threatened to leave him “he would basically threaten your family or threaten your friends.”

That woman said she initially sought an order of protection against Dee after someone broke into her home and stole money after they broke up. She suspected Dee, but said she ultimately decided she didn’t want to provoke him further and chose not to pursue the order of protection.

Ezaldein had studied law at the University of Chicago while also working at Nordstrom to support herself, her family said. Police said she was a seasonal worker at the department store. The university confirmed Ezaldein had been at student at the school, but said she was not enrolled for the fall semester.

-- Contributing: Tina Sfondeles and Becky Schlikerman

WEEK IN REVIEW: Six shot dead throughout Chicago

Michael Lansu — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 09:19:07 -0600

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

The city began the week with its longest murder-free stretch of the year, but the week ended with six people dying from gunshot wounds over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Four people were fatally shot on Black Friday -- the busiest shopping day of the year. At least 15 other people were wounded by gunfire over the four-day weekend, police said.

The most recent killing happened when police found 22-year-old Darnell Williams shot in the back in the 7200 block of South Vincennes Avenue in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood about 3:10 p.m., police said.

Williams, of the 600 block of West Cermack Road, died about two hours later at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office, which has not yet released his name.

On Friday, 22-year-old Nordstrom employee Nadia Ezaldein was shot inside the store near East Grand and North Michigan Avenues about 8:30 p.m. Friday, authorities said.

Ezaldein's ex-boyfriend, 31-year-old Marcus Dee, walked into the accessories department where Ezaldein was a season worker, the two “exchanged words” then he shot her, authorities say.

Ezaledin, a student at the University of Chicago, died the next day at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, her family said.

In the Little Village neighborhood, 18-year-old Oscar Garcia was standing in the 2500 block of South Central Park Avenue when he was shot in the head about 11 p.m. Friday, authorities said.

Garcia, of the 2800 block of South Millard Avenue, died at the scene, according to the medical examiner's office.

In the Washington Heights community, police found 21-year-old Joshua Rockett shot in the back in the 9000 block of South Laflin Street about 7:35 p.m. Friday, authorities said.

Rockett, of the 9200 block of South Wallace Street, died at the scene, according to the medical examiner’s office.

In the Chicago Lawn community, 15-year-old Jahakel Clark was shot in the head in the 3100 block of West 64th Street about 3:30 p.m. and died at the scene, authorities said. Two other boys, 14 and 16, were wounded but survived, police said.

The killing started when a bullet came through the window of Leroy Stinson's home in the 2100 block of West Garfield Boulevard in the Back of the Yards community and struck him in the head about 10:50 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said.

Stinson, 50, died at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood about 11:50 p.m. Thursday, according to the medical examiner's office.

Stinson was the first person killed in Chicago since early Nov. 22. Based on time of death, it is the longest murder-free stretch in the city this year, just hours longer than a stretch Feb. 15-20.

Overall, the medical examiner’s office has ruled at least 405 Chicago deaths in 2014 a homicide — including 14 people killed by police.

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

Nadia Ezaldein fatally shot in shooting at Downtown Nordstrom

Michael Lansu — Sun, 30 Nov 2014 00:04:24 -0600

Scene where Nadia Ezaldein was fatally shot / Photo by Eric Clark

BY TINA SFONDELES AND BECKY SCHLIKERMAN
Chicago Sun-Times

A high-achieving University of Chicago student was fatally shot by her ex-boyfriend as she worked at a Downtown department store on Black Friday.

Nadia Ezaldein, 22, had been physically and mentally abused by Marcus Dee, 31, even after they broke up a year ago, relatives said.

And on Friday night -- on one of the busiest shopping days of the year -- Dee walked into the accessories department at the Nordstrom at 55 E. Grand Ave., “exchanged words” with Ezaldein and shot her, authorities say.

Dee, who hit Ezaldein in the head or neck, then turned his gun on himself. He died inside the store.

It was her birthday Friday, they said.

“It was like months and months of psychological torment,” Ezaldein’s brother said of his sister’s rocky relationship with Dee. “I would say there was a lot of emotionally traumatizing phrases and words.”

Ezaldein’s sister -- who like her brother asked not to be named -- said Ezaldein dated Dee from August 2012 until she broke up with him in December 2013. Dee continued to abuse her sister after that, she said.

He’d call and threaten to hurt or kill himself, forcing Ezaldein to change her phone number several times, she said.

“He called the entire family, consistently texting,” the sister said. “He Googled my entire family.”

Dee went as far as attempting to file a restraining order against Ezaldein’s sister, court records show. The next day, the sister responded in kind. But Cook County judges denied both petitions.

Family members remembered Ezaldein, who grew up in Florida, as a bright young woman who graduated from a Fort Lauderdale high school at the age of 16.

She received a scholarship from a foundation in South Florida because she had the most community service hours of her entire graduating class, said Carol Zeber, of the group Quota International of Fort Lauderdale.

Ezaldein’s high school college advisor described Ezaldein as a soft-spoken honor student who was wise beyond her years.

“She had understanding of the world and was very articulate and had a nice sense of humor,” Susan O’Day said.

Ezaldein was studying law at the University of Chicago, while also working at Nordstrom to support herself, her family said. Police said Ezaldein was a seasonal worker.

The university confirmed Ezaldein had been previously enrolled at the school, but said that she was not enrolled for the fall semester.

Dee’s family could not be reached, but a police source said he is the son of Chicago Police officers.

Nordstrom was closed Saturday. A sign posted the store said “Due to the tragic situation that occurred in our store yesterday, our store is closed today, Saturday, November 29th.”

Shoppers were stunned to find out about the shooting.

“Wow — You would never think it would happen here,” Rashmi Sridharan, 29, said. “It’s very sad.”

The tragedy turned what the Ezaldein family had hoped would be a weekend of celebration to intense mourning.

Ezaldein’s sister had come to town to celebrate Ezaldein’s birthday.

“I came here on Thursday to surprise her,” she said. “And then she had to go to work on her birthday.

“I was waiting for her but she never came home.”