More charges in death of boy beaten, burned, shot
Murder charges were approved against a second teen implicated in the beating and fatal shooting of a 15-year-old Southwest Side boy who refused to acknowledge his assailants' gang, authorities said.
The latest first-degree murder charges were filed against Edgar Silva, 18, of the 5100 block of South Albany Avenue, Chicago police announced this afternoon.
Police did not release further information, including how Silva was involved in the crime. He was scheduled to appear for a bond hearing Friday, police said.
Bail was denied today for the first teen charged with first-degree murder, 15-year-old Jovanny Martinez, of the 3100 block of South Emerald Avenue.
Authorities alleged that on May 1 the victim, 15-year-old Alex Arellano, of the 8900 block of South Escanaba Avenue, and several girls were walking to a friend's home near Sacramento Avenue and 54th Place.
"While walking there, the victim was confronted by two individuals on bikes who asked the victim what he was about, referring to his gang affiliation," Assistant State's Atty. John Dillon said in court. "The victim responded he was about nothing and the two individuals rode away."
A short time later, a Ford Mustang containing a group of Latin King gang members, including the two individuals on bikes, pulled up to the address at 3043 W. 54th Pl.
The group, wielding baseball bats, demanded the victim to "throw up the crown," or show the symbol of the Latin Kings, and when Arellano refused, the began to beat him with the bats. Arellano escaped briefly, but was run down by the driver of the Mustang, and his assailants caught up and resumed the beating, Dillon said.
When Arellano escaped a second time, he fled into the back yard of a vacant home, where the offenders followed and continued to beat him before Arellano was shot once in the head, according to Dillon.
A concerned citizen who witnessed the beating and saw Martinez walking away from the vacant home called 911, and officers found Martinez about 10 minutes later approximately two blocks from the scene.
Dillon said Martinez fled, tossing a gun as he ran, but was caught by police and the weapon was recovered. He was arrested and cited in a juvenile petition for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.