Augustin Toscano and Raul Segura-Rodriguez are charged with a double murder over the weekend. A third suspect was killed by police.
Off camera, Toscano's sister told reporters Toscano is not a killer.
Officials said on Saturday Toscano, Segura-Rodriguez and a third suspect went into the apartment building in the 5800-block of North Winthrop to sell three men drugs but instead robbed and killed the suspects.
"While being held at gunpoint and all 3 victims hands tied behind their backs using their own belts, while being held at gunpoint with their hands behind their backs, all three victims' necks were cut with a knife," Jamie Santini, assistant state's attorney, said.
Two victims died. A 25-year-old survived the attack.
The three suspects were already under surveillance for possible drug activity, police said, and undercover officers watching them saw the suspects buy duct tape and Swiffer mopping cloths at a nearby CVS before the double murder. When the suspects left the Edgewater apartment, officers in marked cars stopped their pickup.
"After stopping the defendant's vehicle, the police exited their cars and there was gunfire from the defendants' vehicle. One of the officers was struck in the leg," Santini said. That officer is OK, police said.
The defendants then took off, crashing into a utility box. An officer fired one shot in the truck, killing the driver. Toscano, 29, and Segura-Rodrigues, 36, were taken into custody.
"From inside the defendant's vehicle, police recovered two handguns, a bloody knife, three duct tape packages . . . and six bundles of U.S. currency," Santini said.
Police said the men may be linked to other crimes that were under investigation. Prosecutors would not comment on specifics, but the Chicago Sun-Times reports they could be linked to a quadruple murder in September and two triple murders last April and May.
Alderman Marianne Smith is holding a community meeting at 7 p.m. on the crime.
