Following the investigation of a man’s death involving suspicious injuries in alley on Grand Avenue in Lake Villa; Jordan L. Toney, 19, and Buddy W. Johnson, 20, have each been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, according to authorities. Police said the victim, a Lake Villa man in his 50s, was severely beaten by the men during a robbery.
The suspects of Lake Villa Township have been accused of beating a man to death in the block of 300 Grand Avenue in Lake Villa.
The two men were immediately detained as persons of interest, and were charged with First Degree Murder following an investigation by the Lake Villa Police Department and the Lake County Major Crime Task Force, according to task force spokesman Christopher Covelli. The circumstances of how they were identified as suspects was not immediately released.
Covelli said the investigation discovered that the murder victim was walking home after making a purchase at a local business. As the man was walking in an alley in the block of 300 East Grand Avenue, Johnson and Toney attacked the man — using their fists, feet and a sandbag. During the fatal beating, the suspects robbed the victim of his wallet, and the victim fell to the ground. Before Johnson and Toney fled from the scene, they dropped a 40- or 50-pound bag of sand on his face, according to Covelli, and the man died from his injuries.
Preliminary autopsy results indicate the 50 year-old male victim died of multiple traumatic injuries, according to Lake County Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper. Routine toxicology results are pending.
Dr. Cooper said the man has been identified, but his name is not being released until later this week after notification of his family.
“It appears to be a crime of opportunity,” Covelli said. Neither Johnson nor Toney knew the Lake Villa man prior to the robbery, officials said.
“First and foremost, I want to extend my deepest heartfelt sympathy to the family and friends of the victim in this case. This man did nothing wrong. He was an innocent victim, minding his own business, when he encountered evil in that alley. This incident is not reflective of the community of Lake Villa, a family oriented town populated by great people.”
— Lake Villa Police Chief Craig Somerville
Toney, of the block of 39000 of North Poplar Street in Lake Villa Township, and Johnson of the block of 21600 of West Birch Street in Lake Villa Township, were charged and booked by Lake Villa police before being transferred to Waukegan Monday afternoon, where they appeared in Lake County Circuit Court.
The bond for each suspect was set at $5 million, and both are due back in court Tuesday, August 21, 2018.
Jordan Toney (left) and Buddy Johnson, Lake Villa First Degree Murder Suspects (Lake County Sheriff’s Office).
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Neighborhood where man was found murdered …