Senior resident charged in Lyons double murder denied bail

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (WLS) -- A judge denied bail Wednesday for a 67-year-old man accused of killing two of his neighbors at a senior living facility west suburban Lyons.

Dressed in a beige Cook County Jail uniform, John Arnold stood emotionless as he appeared in bond court Wednesday afternoon. He is accused of brutally killing two of his neighbors at the River Walk Senior Residences in southwest suburban Lyons.

Arnold, who has a past conviction for misdemeanor retail theft and a 1975 conviction for smoking marijuana, now faces first degree murder charges for the weekend slaying of David Bosseler, 73, and a 61-year-old female resident whose name has not been released yet.

Investigators say Arnold committed the double murder following a dispute over missing property he accused Bosseler of taking. They did not offer specifics on the property that Arnold believed was taken from him.

In court, prosecutors said Arnold can be seen on security camera video from the apartment complex waiting in the hallway outside the victims' third floor apartment. Authorities say he was sitting in a folding chair and had a briefcase with a large knife inside.

They say when someone inside the unit opened the door, Arnold pushed his way in and killed both victims, stabbing them multiple times early Sunday morning.

Prosecutors say minutes later, Arnold emerges from the apartment, removes his shoes, places them in the briefcase and then walks away. Police said that they recovered the shoes that were in the briefcase from a Dumpster at the facility.

Investigators say because the retirement community is an assisted living facility, residents are required to push a call button once a day to let staff know they're OK.

Police say the gruesome discovery wasn't made until Monday afternoon during a well-being check after the victims' failed to check in.

If convicted, Arnold could face up to natural life in prison. He's due back in court next month.