Family of Kent Projansky, shot and killed by neighbor in 2004, find relief after suspect ordered to stay in jail
A northwest suburban family felt a sigh of relief when a man accused of killing their brother 20 years ago was put behind bars.
David Barklow, 68, is charged with the murder of Kent Projansky, 40, back in 2004. The state argued the shooting was a cold-blooded execution.
Projansky's brothers quietly celebrated when the judge ordered Barklow, who was dressed in a suit with a purple shirt, to be put behind bars on Saturday. It's a decision they said was a long time coming.
It was also the first time they came face to face with the man charged with their brother's murder, and the first time they learned there were witnesses to the shooting — some said they heard a gunshot and whispering.
Dozens of family members came to the courthouse in support and love for Kent Projansky. His family said he was kind, generous, life of the party.
Projansky was found shot and killed inside his 30th-floor apartment on North Dearborn in December 2004 after friends and family said they couldn't get a hold of him. Days after he died, police said they found a duffel bag full of bloody clothes and a 32 caliber Smith and Wesson unloaded revolver in a dumpster on Higgins by the Cumberland Blue Line stop. That gun was linked to evidence from the crime scene, but detectives could not figure out a suspect for more than a decade.
Then, in 2017, a retired detective took a new look at the case and resubmitted latent evidence, like DNA, not visible to the naked eye. They submitted this to the Illinois State Police crime lab. Police said with new crime technology, they found Barklow was a suspect and that he lived across the street from Projansky at the time.
The state on Saturday said Barklow bought cannabis from Projansky and had tens of thousands of dollars in his apartment.
Barklow was arrested in 2019 by U.S. Marshals but released without charges because evidence still needed to be processed. When they linked him, they found Barklow had left the country and gone to South America. Just this year, they had a warrant for his arrest and extradited him this week.
Barklow's attorney asked for protective custody. They tried to get the case dismissed, saying Barklow is a hard-working financial advisor.