Cicero man charged in multiple 2021 homicides that left 3 dead
CICERO, Ill. (WLS) -- Cicero police and Illinois State Police announced Thursday a man has been charged in a pair of homicides in 2021.
Investigators have linked 20-year-old Cicero man, Joseph Guzman, to two homicide scenes a month apart, with a total of three people killed, according to officials.
"I think this would go towards possibly the offender's lack of care or respect of human life more than anything else," said Major Matthew Gainer with Illinois State Police.
The first homicide scene was on September 28th, 2021, after an expressway shooting on the Stevenson around 11:40 p.m.
Authorities said Guzman shot and killed a driver and a passenger in another vehicle on I-55 near Wentworth Avenue in Chicago.
"They were returning home, one was actually, had finished his shift working. A friend was accompany him for the car ride," Gainer said.
Although State Police will not release the victims' names, the medical examiner identified the victims as Erick Macedo and Felix Geron, both 21-years-old.
Why they were shot remains unclear.
"I can't speak to the motive because it's an on-going investigation," Gainer said.
After that, investigators linked Guzman to a second homicide scene that happened October 24, 2021, in the early morning hours on the 2800-block of South 50th Court.
"Our victim, Joshua Gonzalez, was going home. He was definitely an innocent victim," said Superintendent Jerry Chlada Jr. with the Cicero Police Department.
In the Cicero shooting, police said Guzman and a 17-year-old male are charged with murder, and again, the motive is unclear.
"I'm not here to speak about motive at this point," Chlada added.
What is clear, however, is that cameras that can read license plates on area expressways played a part in the investigations.
RELATED: ISP installs more license plate reading cameras along Chicago expressways
"This is a perfect example of the use of technology and determination of the investigators that led to the successful outcome of this case," Gainer said.
Guzman appeared in bond court, where he was denied bond. The 17-year-old was ordered held on a $10 million bond.
