Investigators say Amaya, who was killed in an unrelated robbery in Orland Park, is responsible for the October 5, 2010 murder of Rolando Alonzo and the shooting of an Indiana farmer the following day.
Law enforcement sources say DNA testing of a handwritten note Amaya allegedly passed to one of his victims was inconclusive; however ballistics testing showed the .357 caliber gun used in the two-state shooting spree was the same one Amaya used in the robbery of an LA Tan spa in Orland Park. Amaya was shot and killed during that robbery by a customer who wrestled the weapon away from him. Sources tell ABC 7 one of the October shooting victims has identified Amaya in a photo line-up as the gunman, the other victim did not. Still, A Will County's Sheriff's Department spokesman says investigators are confident Amaya was the shooter.
Will County authorities were concerned Amaya's previous career as an over-the-road truck driver may have provided him ample opportunity to commit other crimes in other jurisdictions. His DNA was entered into a national database of unsolved crimes and no hits were recorded.
This case marked the latest in a series of high-profile blunders by Will County law enforcement. Sheriff's detectives and Will County prosecutor James Glasgow wrongly accused, charged and jailed Lynwood Police officer Brian Dorian last fall… claiming he was the Honeybee killer. Charges were dropped after Dorian's alibi checked-out. In an exclusive ABC 7 interview in December, Dorian said he would withhold judge on Amaya's guilt. "Let it play out, let it play out. Everybody rushed to judgment with me including the certain agencies. Let it play out," Dorian said at the time. Dorian could not immediately be reached for comment today.
