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Chicago man charged with cousin's murder at Elk Grove motel

A Chicago man is held on $4 million bail after being charged in the shooting death of his 33-year-old cousin, who was found dead in an Elk Grove Village motel room Sunday.

Deon Moore, 34, was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder in the death of Larry Moore, also of Chicago.

The victim sustained a single gunshot wound to the back of his neck after an altercation early Saturday at Motel 6, 1000 W. Devon Ave., authorities said.

Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Maria McCarthy said during a hearing Wednesday the two cousins left the motel at 11:30 p.m. Friday, May 19, to purchase beer, and returned about 20 minutes later.

McCarthy said Deon Moore told police in a videotaped statement that they started arguing because his cousin "challenged my manhood."

Deon Moore pistol whipped the victim in the jaw, McCarthy said, before shooting him in the neck. Deon remained in the room for the next 10 hours while the victim lay dying, she said.

It wasn't until Sunday afternoon when a hotel employee cleaning rooms discovered the victim and police were called.

Larry Moore was officially pronounced dead at 1:12 p.m. Sunday, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

In arguing for a reasonable bail Wednesday, Cook County assistant public defender Craig Rosenthal said he believes the shooting was accidental.

Elk Grove Village Police Chief Chuck Walsh said police didn't find anything in their investigation to suggest a long-running dispute between the cousins - only that an argument escalated into a physical altercation when the gun was used.

"The family was shocked, not only for victim's sake, but also having a family member being involved," Walsh said.

McCarthy said Deon Moore went to his cousin's house and pretended to grieve with his family.

Police later caught up with the suspect in Chicago early Monday and brought him in for questioning, which led to charges being filed.

"The motel had good video surveillance and we were able to determine quickly this suspect was last seen with the victim," Walsh said.

Larry Moore had been staying at the motel for a couple weeks after being hired by a company in Elk Grove's business park, Walsh said.

Deon Moore's criminal background includes a 2006 federal conviction for possession of a firearm by a felon for which he received a 41-month sentence. He has two felony convictions from 2002 out of Kankakee County for the manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance and for unlawful use of a weapon. He was sentenced to four years in prison and two years in prison respectively. He has two misdemeanor convictions from 2015 for assaulting a police officer and resisting a police officer.

Moore next appears in court June 15.

Suspect in custody in slaying at Elk Grove motel

  A 34-year-old Chicago man was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder in the death of his cousin at Motel 6, 1000 W. Devon Ave. in Elk Grove Village. Christopher Placek/cplacek@dailyherald.com
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