Man charged with murder after cops track his phone history for 11 miles from Diversey Harbor to shooting scene

By TopTrendReportTv

January 2, 2024

CHICAGO — Authorities have charged a man in connection with a fatal shooting on Independence Day 2023, following an extensive investigation by Chicago police that utilized video footage and cellphone location data to trace his movements from Diversey Harbor to the crime scene.

Luis Vela, 28, faces one count of first-degree murder and has been ordered by Judge David Kelly to remain in custody while awaiting trial.

The incident occurred around 7:20 a.m., when two men opened fire on 24-year-old Leonardo Martinez and his 25-year-old brother in the 4400 block of South Wood. Martinez was killed, and his brother was critically injured.

Detectives later located the suspects’ getaway vehicle and determined it had been at Diversey Harbor shortly before the shooting, according to Chicago police records. Video evidence from the harbor allegedly captured a man wearing clothes matching one of the shooters entering the getaway car. Prosecutors identified that man as Vela and said his DNA was found inside the vehicle.

Additionally, investigators traced Vela’s cellphone location data, which they say matched the route taken by the getaway car from Diversey Harbor to the scene of the shooting. The phone also registered a signal at the crime scene during the time of the attack.

Court records show that Vela has a criminal history, including a 2017 conviction for aggravated discharge of a firearm and possession of a stolen motor vehicle, for which he was sentenced to five years in prison.