CHICAGO — When Chicago police leaders and Cook dinner County State’s Legal professional Eileen O’Neill Burke introduced fees in opposition to a suspected serial killer on Wednesday, they didn’t converse in regards to the accused man’s background.
Requested in regards to the legal background of 21-year-old Antonio Reyes, CPD Chief of Detectives Antoinette Ursitti mentioned she was “restricted” in what she may say as a result of state regulation prohibits officers from revealing juvenile legal data.
That regulation doesn’t apply to us, so we are going to reply that reporter’s query now.
Reyes was given three years of probation in juvenile courtroom for aggravated theft and aggravated battery in December 2019. Between March 2020 and November 2020, whereas he was allegedly killing six folks and making an attempt to kill 4 others, he picked up 4 extra juvenile circumstances: armed theft, aggravated assault with a lethal weapon, illegal use of a weapon, and a narcotics cost.
Prosecutors revealed that info once they charged Reyes together with his first homicide and tried homicide circumstances in December 2020. Our reporter was taking notes.
These first two circumstances earned Reyes a spot in our “Not Horrible” reporting sequence, a group of studies about folks accused of committing homicide and tried homicide whereas on pretrial launch for felonies.
We referred to as it “Not Horrible” as a result of Cook dinner County Chief Choose Timothy Evans acknowledged in November 2019 that there had not been “any horrible incidents” below his inexpensive bail system.
Through the December 2020 listening to, Assistant State’s Legal professional Kevin Deboni mentioned Reyes shot 26-year-old Davalos Garcia as Garcia waited for his girlfriend to come back out of her home within the 5800 block of South Rockwell on June 24, 2020.
About 4 hours after Garcia’s homicide, a automobile just like the one utilized by his killer was concerned in one other taking pictures, however each of the victims in that case survived. Investigators tracked a short lived license plate on the automobile to an auto physique store that bought the automobile to the mom of Reyes’ youngster 4 days earlier than the homicide, DeBoni mentioned. As of in the present day, Reyes remains to be not charged with that day’s second taking pictures.
Throughout the identical listening to, Reyes was charged with one other crime. On November 26, 2020, a 27-year-old man observed two males in a Jeep gazing him as he checked out house listings on a pole close to 58th Avenue and Central Park. Minutes later, the person was shot by somebody who fired from contained in the Jeep, DeBoni mentioned. The gunman was carrying a surgical masks, however the sufferer was later capable of establish Reyes by his eyes, eyebrows, and brow, in keeping with DeBoni.
Cops discovered the Jeep deserted two days after the taking pictures with a shell casing below its windshield wiper that has a “excessive correlation” to shell casings discovered on the November 26 taking pictures scene, DeBoni mentioned on the time. Police allegedly tracked the Jeep’s license plate to Reyes’ grandmother. She had reported the Jeep stolen, DeBoni mentioned, and he or she denied understanding her personal grandson when police requested about him.
Reyes was 17 when he was charged with these crimes. He continues to battle the allegations and has remained in custody ever since. Whereas there, he tried to kill one in every of his cellmates with a shank, O’Neill Burke mentioned throughout a press convention on Wednesday.
Through the convention, she and CPD Supt. Larry Snelling accused Reyes of taking pictures and killing much more folks in 2020. By state regulation, they didn’t reveal that he was on juvenile probation and had picked up much more juvenile felony fees throughout the months when the killings occurred:
On March 2, 2020, he allegedly shot and killed Francisco Mangana, 31, within the 2600 block of West 59th Avenue.
On April 5, 2020, he allegedly killed Claudio Cossio, 21, and injured a second individual in a taking pictures within the 4100 block of South Sacramento.
He allegedly killed Damian Duran, 16, within the 5200 block of South Homan on Could 1, 2020.
On November 8, 2020, 31-year-old Jose Martinez took his three kids, all between 3 and 9 years previous, to purchase a pet. Reyes allegedly shot into their automobile within the 5400 block of South Homan, killing Martinez.
He’s accused of murdering Justin Gonzalez, 20, within the 4700 block of West 59th Avenue on November 9, 2020.
Ursitti, the chief of detectives, mentioned investigators caught an enormous break when cops recovered a .40-caliber handgun throughout the summer season of 2020. Lab exams linked the gun to a number of of the circumstances, giving detectives an important lead. She added that Reyes had a “pretty vital” social media presence and investigators had been capable of hyperlink his on-line posts with among the taking pictures places.
Officers have discovered no indication that Reyes knew any of his victims or that the victims had carried out something to trigger Reyes to focus on them.
The “not horrible” sequence
This report continues our protection of people accused of killing, taking pictures, or making an attempt to kill or shoot others on pretrial launch for a felony allegation. CWBChicago started our sequence of studies in November 2019 after Cook dinner County Chief Choose Timothy Evans publicly acknowledged, “We haven’t had any horrible incidents happen” below the courtroom’s bond reform initiative.
The precise variety of murders and shootings dedicated by folks awaiting trial for felony allegations is undoubtedly a lot larger than the numbers seen right here. Since 2017, CPD has introduced fees in lower than 5% of non-fatal shootings and 33% of murders, in keeping with the town’s information.
Earlier reporting
2024 “not horrible” cases2023 “not horrible” cases2022 “not horrible” cases2021 “not horrible” cases2020 “not horrible” cases2019 “not horrible” circumstances
Unique reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click on right here to assist our work.
