GDELTIllinois
Goldstein: -10.0Tone: -6.4
A teenager from Oak Park is facing a murder charge in connection with the deadly shooting of man who was riding a bike in Chicago's Grant Park earlier this week, police announced on Thursday.
Eliel Argudo-Tenorio is facing one count of first-degree murder after he was arrested at his home in Oak Park on Tuesday evening, Chicago police said.
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Police said around 12:15 a.m. on Tuesday, a 27-year-old man was riding a bike on the sidewalk on the 300 block of East Jackson when he was shot in the upper leg. He was transported to a local hospital in critical condition and later pronounced dead.
The blue bikeshare Divvy bike that the 27-year-old was riding when he was shot could be seen still at the scene with evidence markers nearby as police investigated after the shooting.
Argudo-Tenorio will appear in court for a detention hearing on Friday.
Open article →GDELTIllinois
Goldstein: -6.5Tone: -7.0
A man charged with lighting a cross on fire in Chicago’s Grant Park will not be detained pretrial, a judge ruled during a court hearing Thursday.
21-year-old Merlin Lu turned himself in to authorities on Wednesday, and is facing multiple charges in connection with the June 9 incident in which a cross was assembled and set ablaze in downtown Chicago.
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The burning cross, widely understood to be a symbol of racial hate and white supremacy, was intended by Lu to protest the Trump administration, he told NBC Chicago’s Chuck Goudie in an interview. His defense attorney echoed that argument during Thursday’s court hearing.
A judge said that while the incident did cause nearly $2,000 damage in the park, Lu is not considered a flight risk, and he was released pretrial, with a court hearing set for June 22.
Lu was charged with multiple felony hate crime counts, as well as arson and criminal damage to property in the case.
According to a proffer published by prosecutors, Lu was seen on surveillance images entering Grant Park with two planks of wood and several other items on the afternoon of June 9.
He was then seen assembling the wood into a cross, which he then wrapped in toilet paper and doused in kerosene. Topping the cross with a red hat, he then propped it against a tree and set it on fire, according to prosecutors.
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He was then seen fleeing the park on foot.
According to prosecutors, officers found a hammer and nails next to the cross in the park, along with a lighter, a cigarette butt, and a kerosene bottle cap. The bottle cap and lighter were allegedly bought by Lu on May 31 at a Home Depot store, according to police.
After he had been read his Miranda rights, prosecutors say Lu admitted to buying the materials, assembling the cross and lighting it on fire.
Several days after the incident, Lu contacted NBC 5 Investigates, and in an interview with Chuck Goudie he said he was the person police were seeking in connection to the burning. He said the act was meant as an act of political protest against President Donald Trump, and that the reason he spoke out was to clarify his intentions.
"Yeah, probably. I agree a different protest should have been used). As I've said earlier, I failed in delivering my message, but I believe that right now I'm trying my best to clarify the confusion. And yeah, I don't regret what I did," Lu responded.
He will next appear in court on June 22.
Open article →GDELTKentucky
Goldstein: 6.0Tone: -5.8
CALLOWAY COUNTY, Ky. (KFVS) - A Kirksey, Kentucky man is facing felony charges following a multi-agency investigation into a fire in May.
According to the Calloway County Sheriff’s Office, 63-year-old Jody M. Smith was arrested on Wednesday, June 17 for an arrest warrant charging him with murder and first-degree arson.
The sheriff’s office said this comes after a fire at a home on Saddlebrook Lane on May 19. The home was fully engulfed, and first responders found a woman, named Lisa Bebber, who died inside.
After further investigation, detectives found probable cause to believe Smith intentionally set the fire.
He is currently being held at the Calloway County Detention Center.
The investigation remains ongoing.
The Calloway County Sheriff’s Office said the Calloway County Fire Rescue, the Calloway County Coroner’s Office, the Kentucky State Police and the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office assisted with this investigation.
Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at (270) 753-3151 or ccso.office@callkyso.com.
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