3rd Person Charged After Boy Found Shot, Burned in Alley

A third person -- a Burbank woman -- has been charged with murder for the death of a 15-year-old South Side boy found burned and shot in the head in a gangway in early May.

Alisa Campos, 22, of the 7800 block of Latrobe Avenue in Burbank, was charged with one count of first-degree murder for the death of 15-year old Alex Arellano, whose badly burned body was found May 2 in a gangway in the 3500 block of West 54th Street, according to police News Affairs.

Two teens had previously been charged with murder in Arellano’s death.

Edgar Silva, 18, of the 5100 block of S. Albany, was charged May 28 with one count of first-degree murder and was ordered held without bond by Circuit Judge Laura Sullivan, Cook County State's Attorney's office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton said.

Judge Sullivan also denied bond for Jovanny Martinez, 15, of the 3100 block of South Emerald Avenue, who is also charged in Arellano’s murder, Simonton said. Martinez is charged as an adult with one count of first-degree murder.

Prosecutors claim Arellano was with three girls going to a friend's house when he was confronted by two individuals on bikes who asked his gang affiliation. Arellano said nothing and they rode away.

A short time later, a Ford Mustang full of Latin Kings told Arellano to “throw up the crown” -- meaning flash a gang sign. Arellano refused and the group attacked him with baseball bats, court records said.

Somehow, Arellano escaped but the driver of the Mustang followed him, struck him with the car and the beating continued at 3043 W. 54th Pl.

A concerned citizen called 911 and Arellano escaped again, running into the back yard of an unoccupied foreclosed home. The group chased him down again, continued to beat him and then shot him in the head.

About the time the citizen called 911, Martinez was seen walking from the scene. Responding officers spotted him walking two blocks away and he ran from them. While running from police, he allegedly threw a gun to the ground, prosecutors said.

He was arrested and charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

On May 2, the victim’s charred remains were found in the gangway, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors said a bullet taken from Arellano matched the gun Martinez was arrested with. DNA testing also showed that blood found on Martinez’s pants matched Arellano’s.

A May 3 autopsy determined Arellano, of the 8900 block of South Escanaba, died of a gunshot wound to the head and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.

CPS spokeswoman Monique Bond said Arellano was a 10th-grader at Chicago Discovery, part of the Bowen High School campus at 2710 E. 89th St. However, his family said the boy stopped attending because he was being hassled by gang members.

Martinez and Silva are scheduled for a preliminary hearing June 16 in Violence Court, Simonton said.

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