Hector Rivera / Photo from Chicago Police

Hector Rivera has been charged with murder in the stabbing death of caretaker Erenbira Pimentel-Hernandez Wednesday morning in the Albany Park neighborhood.

Pimentel-Hernandez, 38, was stabbed multiple times in a stairwell in the 4700 block of North Lawndale Avenue about 8:20 a.m. Wednesday, authorities said.

Minutes earlier, a witness saw her talking to a man in a rear parking lot, according to a police report. The two then walked into the stairwell and closed the door.

The witness heard Pimentel-Hernandez scream and saw the man leave the stairwell and walk to parked pickup truck. He told the witness, “You tell police, I’ll get you next,” according to the report.

Hernandez, of the 5000 block of West Grand Avenue, was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where she died at 12:40 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. An autopsy confirmed she died of multiple stab wounds and the death was ruled a homicide.

Hernandez was a caretaker for a senior who lived on the block, according to the report.

Police initially called the attack domestic related.

On Sunday, police arrested Rivera, 55, of the 3100 block of North Kimball Avenue, and he was charged with first-degree murder, police said.

He is scheduled to appear in court for a bond hearing Tuesday.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Scene where Ernesto Garcia was beaten / Photo from NVP

A 57-year-old homeless man was beaten to death Saturday night in the Logan Square neighborhood.

Two males exited a black Nissan and repeatedly punched and kicked Ernesto Garcia in an alley in the 1900 block of North Ridgeway Avenue, authorities said.

The pair then got back in the car and fled north through an alley, police said.

Garcia later died at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

An autopsy confirmed Garcia died of blunt force trauma and ruled his death a homicide, according to the medical examiner’s office.

"Regardless of whether he was homeless or not he's still human," community activist Andrew Holmes told NBC5 Chicago. "A lot of these assaults that been taking place beating the homeless go unreported and the reason they go unreported is because they figure nobody cares, but we care, I care and we're just trying to find the individuals that beat this guy to death."

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area North detectives are investigating.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Paul Land was killed in a Rogers Park area shooting that left another man wounded Sunday night.

Land, 29, and an acquaintance were shot in the 7400 block of North Ridge Avenue about 8:45 p.m. Sunday, authorities said.

Ald. Joe Moore (49th) issued a statement the men were attending an outdoor barbecue when they were shot in a gangway.

Land, who lived on the block, was struck multiple times and died at Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, authorities said.

The other man, also 29, was shot in the right leg and taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, police said.

Police believe the shooting is the result of a dispute between Evanston gangs that spilled over into Chicago, Moore said.

"The individual who hosted the barbecue had just moved into the building from Evanston and is believed to be a member of an Evanston street gang," according to the statement.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area North detectives are investigating.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Hector Rivera / Photo from Chicago Police

BY RUMMANA HUSSAIN
Chicago Sun-Times

A convicted felon who allegedly stabbed his caretaker girlfriend to death in Albany Park last week was ordered held without bond Tuesday.

Hector Rivera stabbed Erendira Pimentel-Hernandez 22 times with his steak knife during an arguing in a stairwell near where she was working in the 4700 block of North Lawndale Avenue, said Assistant State’s Attorney Glen Runk.

A man who heard the screaming from his apartment Wednesday confronted the 55-year-old Rivera when he saw him standing over Pimentel-Hernandez as she sat on the stairs, Runk said.

Rivera allegedly ran away, leaving 38-year-old Pimentel-Hernandez bleeding as the witness came to her aid.
When Rivera left from the back of the building, he told another witness that if she’d call police, she would be next, Runk said.

That woman took down the license plate number on Rivera’s pickup truck as he drove away and the went to help Pimentel-Hernandez, Runk said.

Officers later came to Rivera’s home in the 3100 block of North Kimball Avenue.

But he ran away from the back, hid and eventually fled to Indiana on an Amtrak train, Runk said.

Rivera was arrested when he came back to Chicago the next day.

The steak knife recovered from the scene matches the knives from a butcher’s block in Rivera’s house, Runk said.

Rivera allegedly admitted that he had stabbed Pimentel-Hernandez.

Rivera, a factory worker, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 1989 for attempted murder, armed robbery, aggravated battery and armed violence.

Pimentel-Hernandez was a home health care worker who enjoyed cooking an traveling, according to her Facebook page.

Antonio Hobson was fatally shot Aug. 27 in the North Lawndale neighborhood. Reader "Bwhy?" posted this about him:

R.I.P Tone we all love you and hope to see justice work in your favor.

BY EMILY BROSIOUS AND KALEY FOWLER
Homicide Watch Chicago

Jeremiah Shaw was a loner who avoided gangs, family and friends said.

That is why they were shocked when he was fatally shot Aug. 6 while smoking a cigarette outside his aunt's home in the 5400 block of South Laflin Street in the Back of the Yards community, authorities and family said.

Shaw’s aunt, Samiesha Kent, said she was in her bedroom when she heard the early morning gunshots.

Officers found Shaw, of the 5900 block of South Wabash Avenue, lying on a sidewalk with a gunshot wound to the head, authorities said. He died at the scene.

Family friend Joseph Payton said Shaw, 18, kept to himself and didn’t clash with others.

“They shouldn’t even have shot that boy,” Payton said. “They must have thought he was somebody else."

Payton added that Shaw was a "real good kid" who helped others.

“He was like my son to me,” Payton said. “He’d come down and check on me every morning to see if I needed anything and I’d send him to the store for groceries and stuff. He helped me out a lot.”

Shaw, the second oldest of four children, also looked out for his two younger sisters by making sure they had food to eat, Kent said.

Jeremiah Shaw / Photo from Twitter

“He always loved his family, always liked being around us,” Kent said. “He was a good kid. He wasn’t involved in all the stuff these kids are doing, robbing and stuff. He wasn’t doing that.”

When Shaw had free time he enjoyed rapping and collaborating with other local musicians in the studio, said Kent, who added that Shaw had a great sense of humor and loved to joke around.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area Central detectives are investigating.

Oscar Rodriguez has died after a South Lawndale shooting that left a teenage boy critically wounded early Monday.

Rodriguez, 22, and the 17-year-old boy were sitting on a porch in the 4300 block of West 25th Place when two people exited a Nissan Altima and opened fire about 2:50 a.m. Monday, authorities said.

Rodriguez, of the 4900 block of South Winchester Avenue, was shot in the head and died at Mount Sinai Hospital at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said.

The teenager was shot four times, including in the arm, back and chest, police said. He was taken to Mount Sinai in critical condition.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area Central detectives are investigating if the shooting is gang relate.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Popular night club promoter John "Fuzzy" Atkins was fatally shot Aug. 31, 2013. Last month, LaDonna Curry and Audreianna McNeil were charged for their alleged role in the murder, which prosecutors said also involved two unidentified men. Reader "Lowe" posted this about the case:

He was a great man! My family and I are wondering that same thing, we need all 4 to be locked up! We really miss him, it will be a year coming soon and it's still very hard! He would have given his shirt off his back, they didn't have to take him!

Arthur Shanklin / Photo from Facebook

BY KALEY FOWLER
Homicide Watch Chicago

Hours before being shot, Arthur Shanklin and his sister joked about a photo their mother posted to Facebook.

About 1:20 a.m. Aug. 26, Shaklin was shot in the chest in the 6700 block of South Parnell Avenue in Englewood and died at the scene, authorities said.

“He had a heart of gold,” said his sister, Shonda Shanklin. “He had such generosity. He would help a total stranger.”

Shonda Shanklin described her brother as a fun-loving father with a great sense of humor. He enjoyed rap music and the Chicago Bulls, she said.

One of the last interactions between the siblings was joking about their mother's Facebook stats, Shonda Shaklin said.

“My mom posted a photo on Facebook saying how much she loves her kids,” said Shonda Shanklin. “We were commenting on it, laughing and joking. He was close to our mom. Arthur was her baby, her pride and joy. This is hard for all of us.”

Witnesses told officers they heard arguing then gunshots, police said. An autopsy confirmed Arthur Shanklin, of 1000 block of East 76th Street, died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area South detectives are investigating.

A 56-year-old man was died Tuesday after being stabbed in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood in June.

Brian Johnson was stabbed June 17 in the 1000 block of West 87th Street, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Johnson, of the 9100 block of South May Street, died at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn at 9:47 a.m. Tuesday, according to the medical examiner’s office.

A Wednesday autopsy determined Johnson died of complications from a stab wound to the abdomen and his death was ruled a homicide.

Chicago Police had no information about the attack.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Antonio James / Photo from Chicago Police

BY ANGELIQUE WHITE
Homicide Watch Chicago

Antonio James has been charged with murder in the July 2013 shooting death of Ernest McMullen in the Woodlawn neighborhood.

McMullen, 26, was sitting in the backseat of a car with a group of people in the 6600 block of South Champlain Avenue when James pulled up next to the car and opened fire into the backseat about 7:25 p.m. July 3, 2013, said Assistant State’s Attorney Robert Mack said.

Several months earlier, James had a dispute with one of the people in the car, Mack said.

McMullen and two men in the backseat were wounded in the shooting, authorities said. All three arrived at St. Bernard Hospital without the help of paramedics.

McMullen, of the 800 block of East 46th Street, was shot in the head, back, arm and hand and died at the hospital a short time later, authorities said.

An 18-year-old was shot in the chest and suffered a collapsed lung that required a longer hospital stay, Mack said. The 19-year-old was shot in the shoulder.

One of the surviving victims knew James and provided information to police. Multiple witnesses later identified James in a photo arrays and lineups, Mack said.

James, of the 9200 block of South Dobson Avenue, made a videotaped admission to the shooting, authorities said. He was charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder.

On Thursday, Judge James Brown ordered him held without bond.

He will be back in court Sept. 24.

Jesse Kazmierski / Photo from Chicago Police

BY RUMMANA HUSSAIN
Chicago Sun-Times

After Jesse Kazmierski and two others robbed a retired Chicago Police sergeant during a deadly home invasion on the Far South Side, he admitted “We did something stupid,” Cook County prosecutors said.

Believing 73-year-old Elmer Brown and his wife had a lot of money in a safe, the three drove from Indiana to Chicago on March 10 hoping to get their hands on the loot.

But they ended up leaving without the cash, instead fleeing with the Browns’ other property, including a handgun and a knife, Assistant State’s Attorney Jamie Santini said.

Brown, who was shot once in the face during the incident near East 115th Street and South Avenue G, died two weeks later.

The 38-year Chicago Police veteran’s wife had been lying face down on the ground when she heard a gunshot, Santini said.

When she looked up, she saw her husband lying in the hallway.

The assailant holding the weapon allegedly told the 72-year-old woman, “Keep your head down bitch or I’ll f------ blow your head off too.”

Prosecutors said it was unclear who pulled the trigger because Kazmierski, 18, and the other suspect made their way inside the residence with sweatshirts pulled tightly around their faces.

There was no mention during Kazmierski’s Thursday bond hearing if and how the Browns knew him.

The couple was watching television when Kazmierski and one of his cohorts rang the doorbell last spring, Santini said.

“Help, we need help,” one allegedly said.

Brown’s wife was opening the screen door when Kazmierski and the other suspect pushed their way inside, knocking the elderly woman to the floor, Santini said.

They demanded to know where the safe was and Brown told them it was located upstairs, Santini said.

However, the suspect who ransacked the home ended up coming downstairs, telling the other, “I can’t get it, Let’s get out of here,” Santini said.

The trio fled back to Indiana after the crime, Santini said. That’s where Kazmierski allegedly came clean.

Kazmierski gave the knife that was taken from the Browns’ home to the person he told about the crime, Santini said.

The knife has since been recovered from the Hammond, Ind. man’s home.

Judge James Brown ordered Kazmierski -- who allegedly confessed to detectives -- held without bond for murder and home invasion.

The two others have not been charged.

Brown’s wife, Mary Ann, could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.

In March, she told the Sun-Times that her spouse was “a wonderful father and husband.”

Paul Land / Family photo

BY KALEY FOWLER
Homicide Watch Chicago

Paul Land moved to Chicago to start a new life, but was shot dead six days later when a flurry of gunfire erupted at a Labor Day weekend barbeque in the Rogers Park neighborhood.

Land, 28, had come from Florida in late August for a family reunion and decided to stay in the city, said his brother, Davee Hussey.

“Our family caught a flight back to Miami, and he stayed in Chicago to start over,” Hussey said. “He wanted to be on his own and accomplish things in life.”

That life was cut short on Sunday when Land and another man were shot in the 7400 block of North Ridge Avenue about 8:45 p.m., authorities said.

Land, who lived on the block, was struck multiple times and died at Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, authorities said.

“It hurts, but there’s a comfort in knowing he’s with God now,” said Land's mother, Warnar Land.

Ald. Joe Moore (49th) said the men were attending an outdoor barbecue when they were shot in a gangway. Police believe the shooting is the result of a dispute between Evanston gangs that spilled over into Chicago, Moore said.

“The individual who hosted the barbecue had just moved into the building from Evanston and is believed to be a member of an Evanston street gang,” Moore said in a statement.

Warnar Land said her son took pride in working hard and recently got a job at a Burger King.

Hussey added that Land was never judgmental and didn’t look down on others.

“My big brother was always happy and smiling, and he was always bringing positive energy into the room,” Hussey said. “Paul was the type of person who uplifted people and brought good energy to them. He was very down to earth and treated everyone with respect.”

But Paul Land also had a “funny and goofy” side, and enjoyed playing pranks and make others laugh, his brother said.

Paul Land / Family photo

Hussey said the family is grief-stricken, but are trying to stay positive because his brother would not have wanted them to dwell on his death.

“It's hard to lose a family member but we're trusting that he's in a better place," Hussey said. "He would want to see us be positive and see us see us think about good things. He wouldn’t want to see us down so we’re trying to stay strong for him.”

Nobody has been charged for the murder. Area North detectives are investigating.

Antoine Stewart has died from a domestic-related shooting in the South Deering neighborhood that also left a woman injured.

Stewart, 51, and the 27-year-old woman were shot at his home in the 9500 block of South Oglesby Avenue about 9:20 p.m. Sunday, authorities said.

Police said the shooting stemmed from a domestic argument, but Area South detectives are still trying to determine who fired the gun.

Stewart was initially taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died at 1:55 p.m. Thursday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

An autopsy determined he died from multiple gunshot wounds and the death was ruled a homicide, according to the medical examiner's office.

The woman was taken to Christ Medical Center with a gunshot wound to her arm, police said.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Giovanni Galindo was shot to death Friday evening in a residential area near Midway International Airport.

Police found Galindo, 24, shot in the head in the 6200 block of South Kilpatrick Avenue about 5:10 p.m., authorities said.

Galindo, of the 10300 block of South Karlov Avenue in Oak Lawn, died at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area Central detectives are investigating.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

David Johnson / Photo from Chicago Police

David Johnson has been charged with murder in the May shooting death of Kenneth Anthony in the Englewood neighborhood.

Anthony, 31, was standing with a 21-year-old man in the 6900 block of South Emerald Avenue when somebody walked out of an alley and opened fire about 3:45 p.m. May 24, authorities said.

Anthony, of the 400 block of West 66th Place, was shot in the back and died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County about an hour later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The 21-year-old was shot in the right arm and taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, police said.

Johnson, 27, of the 6700 block of South East End Avenue, was arrested last week and charged with first-degree murder, police said.

On Saturday, he was ordered held without bond, according to the Cook County Sheriff's office. He will be back in court on Monday.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Shaquille Holmes was killed in a West Englewood shooting that left two other people wounded Saturday night.

Holmes, 19, was part of a group in the 7300 block of South Damen Avenue when a gunman exited a car and opened fire about 9 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.

Holmes, of the 7800 block of South Burnham Avenue, was shot multiple times and died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County at 9:51 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.

A 22-year-old man was shot in the right arm and an 18-year-old woman was shot in the leg, police said. Both were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn for treatment.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area South detectives are investigating.

Miran Cerimagic stabbed a 36-year-old man to death during a Friday night attempted robbery in the Norwood Park community, police said. Cerimagic later died from injuries he suffered during the struggle.

Officers went to the 5800 block of North Mobile Avenue for a well being check and found the 36-year-old man stabbed multiple times in the kitchen about 11:30 p.m. Friday, authorities said.

The man was declared dead on the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office, which was not releasing his name as of Sunday afternoon.

Less than 30 minutes later, police learned Cerimagic, 20, of the 6200 block of North Hoyne Avenue, died from stab wounds at Swedish Covenant Hospital, authorities said.

Investigators initially thought Cerimagic was stabbed in an unrelated incident in the 6200 block of North Leavitt Street during a cell phone robbery, police said. That story was later proven false.

On Sunday, police said detectives determined Cerimagic killed the 36-year-old man during an attempted robbery.

Another person is in custody for the stabbing, police said. No charges have been filed as of Sunday afternoon.

Area North detectives are investigating.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Nigell D. Vazquez was fatally shot Thursday night in the Chatham neighborhood.

Vazquez, 22, was standing on a porch in the in the 8600 block of South Ingleside Avenue when two people walked up and started shooting about 8:30 p.m. Thursday, authorities said.

Ciara Brown, who lives nearby, said she heard 12 shots before coming outside and seeing police activity. Brown, 21, said three people were shot near her backyard Aug. 13.

Vazquez died about an hour later at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office, which would not release his home address.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area South detectives are investigating.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire