Three Men, Including Convicted Killer, Charged In Little Village Burglary Ring
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Police busted a major burglary ring in the Little Village neighborhood, and have charged three purported gang members in the scheme, including a convicted killer who was free on parole at the time.
CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli reports police have been on the suspects' trail since May 2013.
Michael Martinez, 44, Courtney McFields, 30, and Richard Nunez, 51, each have been charged with one count of felony burglary. Nunez also has been charged with one count of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.
Martinez was sentended to 45 years in prison for a 1988 murder conviction in Cook County, and had been on parole since November 2013, after serving more than 25 years of his sentence, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records. According to the Chicago Tribune, he pleaded guilty to the 1988 murder of a 13-year-old girl. He also has previous convictions for attempted murder, aggravated battery, and illegal possession of a firearm.
Nunez and McFields also have previous felony convictions, according to the Tribune.
On Monday, police were conducting surveillance on Nunez when they spotted him break into a building on the 2100 block of South California Avenue, where he was joined by McFields and Martinez. All three were wearing black clothes, gloves, and face masks.
When officers spotted the trio leave the building with stolen goods, they moved in and arrested the three men.
After the arrests, police searched several storage facilities linked to the suspects, and found a hoard of thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise – including power tools, computers, electronics, and jewelry – as well as guns and ammunition, and $12,000 cash.
Police believe the three are responsible for a 16-month string of burglaries from Little Village homes, businesses, and garages.
Anyone who thinks they might have been the victim of a burglary committed by the three men should visit the Ogden District police station at 3315 W. Ogden Av. on Sept. 20 and 21, from noon to 5 p.m., to view the stolen goods. Victims who have serial numbers or other identifying papers for property that was stolen from them should bring those materials along. If they don't have such papers, they'll have to point out names, identifying numbers, or initials that might have been inscribed on the stolen items.
For further information, contact detectives at 312-747-7013.
