Authorities confirm body pulled from lake is Villa Park cabbie

Authorities confirmed Wednesday that a body pulled from Lake Michigan last week is that of Artur Shehu, the Villa Park cabdriver suspected of shooting his parents to death.

A jogger spotted the male corpse about 8 p.m. last Tuesday floating near Montrose Harbor. An autopsy showed the man suffered a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

The medical examiner said despite the gunshot wound, the cause of death is still under examination.

Shehu, 33, had been missing since his parents were found slain early Jan. 7 in their Villa Park home. The FBI joined the nationwide search while suspecting he may have faked suicide to throw off the police probe and avoid prosecution.

The Albanian national was a legal resident who spoke fluent English and Albanian. He had relatives in Canada and strong ties to the Albanian community in Chicago.

At 3:40 a.m. Jan. 7, Shehu called 911 from a pay phone near the home he shared with his parents at 46 West Ridge in Villa Park and said "the devil with the big head was going to get him," according to a federal affidavit. It said Shehu told police he planned to kill himself.

Police found a back door open. Shehu was not there. Instead, officers found his slain parents.

DuPage County authorities charged Shehu with murdering his father, Syrja, 66, and his 67-year-old mother, Safo, both shot in the head.

Police discovered a note in which the son admitted killing his parents, the affidavit said. The document also said Shehu planned to kill himself elsewhere and hoped his burned body would never be recovered. If so, he requested that his remains be scattered into a lake or river.

Later that day, police found Shehu's abandoned taxicab near Addison Street and Lake Shore Drive. Inside the taxi, authorities said, they found Shehu's driver's license and another note in which he again admitted killing his parents.