Suspect wanted in 2016 murder of Chicago area attorney arrested in Mexico
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An Illinois murder suspect who has been on the U.S. Marshals' 15 most wanted fugitives list since 2020 has been arrested in Mexico.
John Panaligan, 57, was wanted in the strangling death of real estate attorney Victor Jigar Patel at his Northbrook office in December 2016, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
At the time, Patel, 36, was representing the plaintiffs in a lawsuit that had been filed against Panaligan.
On Monday, police in Mexico arrested Panaligan in the city of Tepic, along the Pacific Coast, about 125 miles northwest of Guadalajara.
"The bottom line is if you are a fugitive from justice, and you think that you were going to escape, you will not. You will be apprehended," said U.S. Marshal LaDon Reynolds, who runs the agency's Chicago office.
Panaligan was deported to the U.S. on Tuesday. At his first court appearance on Wednesday afternoon, a judge ordered him detained at Cook County Jail while he awaits trial.
Northbrook investigators said Panaligan's arrest brings Patel's family one step closer to justice.
"It has been eight extremely hard years for the victim's family. This is the first step in the first phase of them finding justice for their loved one, and they're incredibly happy but going through a wide range of emotions, as you can imagine, as anyone would in this situation," Northbrook Police Deputy Chief Marc Fainman said.
Patel's murder allegedly stemmed from a lawsuit involving a dispute over $20,000
Northbrook police have said Panaligan was seen on surveillance video, wearing a trench coat and hat, and walking with a cane as a disguise, as he left Patel's law office in Northbrook on Dec. 7, 2016, the day Patel was strangled and left for dead inside his office.
Authorities believe Panaligan killed Patel over a pending lawsuit. Patel was representing two of Panaligan's former business partners.
"Mr. Patel was the attorney on record," then-Northbrook Police Chief Charles Wernick said in March 2017. "Suing the Panaligans and their business, Vital Home Healthcare."
Panaligan was the owner of "Vital Wellness Home Health," based out of Naperville. An attorney representing the company told CBS News Chicago in 2017 that the lawsuit police mentioned is a dispute over $20,000. The attorney said the company was cooperating with authorities about the case.
Authorities said Panaligan lured Patel to his law office by scheduling an appointment under an alias. Panaligan then showed up in disguise and killed Patel in his office, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Police said Patel had ligature marks on his neck and wrists, with packing tape over his mouth. Prosecutors said Panaligan bound Patel's wrists with zip ties and taped his mouth shut before strangling him to death.
Two days after he allegedly killed Patel, Panaligan was detained at the Canadian border for allegedly smuggling a gun into the country, but was later allowed to return to the U.S., where he was questioned in Patel's death.
Search warrants executed on Panaligan's home and vehicle led police to suspect him as Patel's killer, but he allegedly fled to Mexico before he could be arrested.
Fainman explained part of the reason it took so long to track down Panaglian was that he apparently was moving around over the years to avoid capture.
"It did not seem like he was living a very comfortable life, and he was certainly changing locations a lot, which made it very difficult for investigators to continue to stay behind him," Fineman said. "It appeared he definitely had some assistance during his fleeing from justice, and that certainly enabled him to do certain things that many people might not be able to do."
An arrest warrant for Panaligan, charging him with first-degree murder, was issued in February 2017, and he was placed on the U.S. Marshals' 15 most wanted list in November 2020.
Investigators said they were also in contact with authorities in the Philippines in their search for Panaglian, believing he might have spent some of his time on the run there, since he is a dual citizen, and has relatives in the Philippines.
A reward of up to $25,000 was being offered for information leading to his arrest.
Panaligan is due back in court on Nov. 13.