Man charged with murder of area coin shop owner
by BRIAN NADIG
A man accused of murdering an Irving Park store owner and burglarizing an Edgebrook business was arrested after a 16th (Jefferson Park) Police District sergeant was able to establish a rapport with the father of the suspect.
The father eventually gave his son’s cell phone number to sergeant Patrick Haran. Members of the Chicago Police Department’s Intelligence Unit used the phone number to track the location of the suspect, who was arrested on Tuesday, April 19, near Higgins and Mango avenues.
Details of the arrest were discussed at the Thursday, May 19, meeting of the 16th District Advisory Committee. The committee, which includes representatives of community and business groups, meets monthly.
A surveillance video at Archie’s Coins, 5516 W. Devon Ave., captured an image of the suspect during the burglary on Thursday, March 24, and the identity of the man was learned during an investigation, according to police. Entry to the coin shop was gained through the roof, police said.
The man was later linked to the murder of the owner of Bart’s Coins and Collectibles, 3939 N. Pulaski Road, after a fingerprint was found in the store, police said.
The store owner reportedly had buzzed the man inside the store on Friday, April 1, and the owner was later found with several stab wounds. The man fled after he apparently threw an object through a window, police said.
The suspect, who was identified by police as Jonathon Herrera, age 19, of the 5300 block of North Lovejoy Avenue, was charged with first degree murder and burglary, police said.
Also at the meeting, the committee honored police officer Terry Abbate and sergeant Karl Scherer as "Officer of the Month" for their March 12 arrest of two men who allegedly attempted to steal thousands of dollars from a 90-year-old home owner, who had hired the to do for home repairs.
A bank teller contacted police after the resident tried to withdraw $3,300 and told police that the workers were waiting outside the bank to collect their pay, police said. The men were arrested after it was determined that the work performed was substandard, police said.
