Buffalo Grove man facing murder charges after botched home invasion robbery

A Buffalo Grove man is charged with first-degree murder after Chicago police say he and an accomplice shot an acquaintance during a home invasion robbery in March.

Demontre Eason, 25, and 31-year-old Justin Neal-Guy of Evanston are both charged with first-degree murder and home invasion in connection with the March 22 shooting death of a 32-year-old Chicago man inside the victim’s home, according to court records.

Prosecutors said Eason and Neal-Guy knew the victim because they had sold him drugs in the past.

According to court papers, the victim had invited Eason and Neal-Guy to his apartment on the 6400 block of North Richmond Street, where he lived with a girlfriend and three children, for drinks.

The victim’s girlfriend told police that Eason and Neal-Guy eventually left the apartment, and the victim was going to leave with them to go to a casino. While the victim was gathering money, the pair burst back into the apartment with handguns drawn and demanded money from the victim and his girlfriend.

Prosecutors said Eason and Neal-Guy believed the couple had more money than they were being given because the girlfriend had posted a stack of $100 bills on social media days earlier. The girlfriend tried to explain that the money was actually fake bills she had bought online.

During the argument, the victim located a firearm that had been hidden in a couch and retrieved it, placing it at his side. Neal-Guy spotted the weapon and opened fire on the victim. Eason also opened fire. The victim attempted to retaliate but was struck once in the chest and once in the thigh, according to court records.

The pair fled the apartment after the shooting, police said.

Investigators ultimately used fingerprint analysis and mobile phone data to connect Eason and Neal-Guy to the crime scene, according to prosecutors. They were arrested Wednesday and ordered detained for trial by a Cook County judge Thursday.

Their next court date is slated for Sept. 2.

Both men are on parole for previous robbery convictions, court records show.