Man Extradited For 2008 Murder At Halloween Party
ELGIN, Ill. (STMW) - A former northwest suburban man is in Elgin police custody after being extradited from Mexico for a gang-related murder at a 2008 Halloween party.
George Martinez was arrested June 22, 2011, at his family's home in Morelos Coahuila, Mexico, and was extradited Wednesday, according to an Elgin police release. Elgin police and U.S. Marshals took him into custody at O'Hare International Airport,
As an 18-year-old Elgin resident, Martinez allegedly shot 16-year-old Jaime Benitez after a gang fight at a 2008 Halloween party in the 500 block of Douglas Avenue in Elgin, police said. Benitez, of Elgin, died at Sherman hospital in Elgin.
Detectives identified Martinez as the shooter and issued a warrant for his arrest in December 2008, police said. Officials learned he fled the country and was arrested in Mexico, where he was jailed awaiting an extradition hearing for more than a year.
Martinez is scheduled to appear in bond court Thursday morning at the Kane County Courthouse in St. Charles.
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