Bail $4 million for Addison man charged in double homicide
Bail was set at $4 million Tuesday for a 20-year-old Addison man suspected of Saturday's "targeted" shooting deaths of two men and the attempted murder of a third.
Jorge Vargas, 20, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
Authorities said the two victims - Kevin Bustos, 17, of Addison and Alberto Rios, 20, of Villa Park - and the third man had parked about 1:15 p.m. Saturday outside an apartment on Elizabeth Drive in Addison so Rios could visit his children.
They said Vargas fired eight shots with a handgun from a third-story window of Rios' ex-girlfriend's apartment, where she lived with Rios' two children.
Bustos apparently tried to drive away but crashed the car into a tree.
Bustos and Rios both were found unresponsive with gunshot wounds inside the vehicle. Both were taken to area hospitals where they were pronounced dead.
The third man, whom authorities did not name, told police he ran away when the gunfire started. He also told police that Rios fired one shot back at Vargas.
Police tracked Vargas on Sunday evening to the home of relatives in Fairmont City, just outside East St. Louis, where he was taken into custody, authorities said.
They said they brought him back to DuPage County and on Monday he gave a videotaped confession.
Assistant State's Attorney Steve Knight said relatives told police Vargas arrived unexpectedly and said he planned to leave Monday morning for Mexico. Knight said Vargas already had purchased a bus ticket, using an assumed name.
"The allegations against (Vargas), that he opened fire in the middle of a Saturday afternoon in a residential area, killing two individuals, are completely outrageous and will be met with the full force of the law," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said after the bail hearing. "While nothing can be done to bring Alberto and Kevin back to those who loved them, the outstanding work of the Addison Police Department will allow us to bring a strong prosecution against the man who allegedly took their lives."
Vargas' next court appearance is scheduled for May 22 in front of Judge George Bakalis. If convicted on both counts, Vargas faces a mandatory sentence of natural life in prison.