27 years later, family remembers

It was nearly 27 years ago that John Spoors was gunned down in Addison after a minor traffic dispute.

He would have turned 50 today. Despite the passage of time, those who loved the young carpenter have not forgotten him.

To mark the milestone, dozens of his family and friends will fill St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church in Addison today for a memorial service to celebrate a life cut too short by violence.

They'll look back while sharing memories, but the solemn occasion also brings hope after a long-awaited break in the 1981 murder investigation.

Federal authorities said they hope this summer to extradite a suspect to face prosecution. Jesus Villarreal-Rodriguez, 49, was arrested Jan. 8 in Santa Gertrudis, Zacatecas, Mexico, after nearly three decades on the lam. He remains in a federal lockup while awaiting extradition.

A few years ago, John Spoors' father died without getting justice for his slain son. Eleanor Spoors, 70, said Monday the arrest in her son's murder is news his close-knit family thought would never come.

"Not after 26 years," she said. "It's closure."

She said the family today will visit John's gravesite at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, then head to the Addison church for his memorial service to remember John and all that he meant.

"I'll never forget it," his mother said of the day her son was killed. "It feels just like yesterday. He was so full of life. He would have done anything for anyone."

John William Spoors III was the oldest of six children in an Irish-Italian Catholic family. The popular 23-year-old man grew up in Addison, wrestled for the local high school and was engaged to be married.

He was gunned down just before 8 a.m. Aug. 26, 1981, in the parking lot of an Addison pancake house at 607 W. Lake St., where he met his boss each morning before work.

The shooting followed a traffic dispute minutes earlier, police said, after the other motorist followed either Spoors or his boss to the restaurant parking lot and opened fire.

Police were led to Villarreal-Rodriguez after interviewing witnesses. They found his Grand Prix within an hour, but they soon had reason to believe he fled the country. They obtained a warrant for his arrest, but the trail went cold.

The years passed. Every once in a while, detectives worked a new lead, a possible sighting that didn't pan out. Still, they didn't forget about John Spoors.

Authorities said they developed new information in February 2006 about the suspect's whereabouts in Mexico, where he had been arrested on drunk and disorderly conduct charges, and began working with the FBI and Mexican officials for his capture.

"I never thought it would mature, after all this time," Robert Spoors said of his brother's murder. "We're all just sitting and waiting for what comes next."

More than 100 people, coming from across Illinois and out of state, including Florida and Kentucky, are expected to attend today's services in Addison.

"My brother was so loved," said Michael Spoors, who was closest in age to John. "He was the glue that held the family together.

"The main reason we are holding the service is to remember John and let all know that (a suspect charged in the murder) has been apprehended as well as for closure for the family and his friends."

The memorial service will start at 5 p.m. today at St. Philip, 1223 Holtz Ave., Addison.