Three charged in string of carjackings, two murders in Chicago area in 2020
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two men and a woman have been indicted on federal charges in the murders of two men on the same day in September 2020, during a days-long carjacking spree in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.
Edson Resendez, aka "Savage"; Maverick Cela, aka "G Reckless"; and Prezila Apreza have been indicted on federal charges of conspiracy, carjacking, and weapons violations.
Federal prosecutors said the trio was involved in a string of armed carjackings and shootings between Sept. 11 and Sept 21, 2020.
During their crime spree, they shot and killed Nabil Mahouar during an attempted carjacking in the Dunning neighborhood on Chicago's Northwest Side on Sept. 21, 2020; and then shot and killed Eduardo Triano later the same day while driving a stolen vehicle in the nearby North Park neighborhood, according the indictment.
The carjackings started on Sept. 11, 2020, when Resendez and Cela stole a 2014 Chevrolet Sonic at gunpoint in Morton Grove. Later the same day, they used the victim's credit card to buy food from a Burger King in Skokie, according to the indictment.
Two days later, they used that stolen vehicle to carjack another person at gunpoint in the driveway of their home in Skokie, making off with a 2014 Lexus GS350, prosecutors said. They later ditched the stolen Sonic in Chicago and lit it on fire.
On Sept. 16, 2020, Resendez and Cela abandoned the stolen Lexus in Chicago before meeting up with Apreza, and stealing a 2015 Hyundai Elantra at gunpoint in Skokie, according to the indictment.
The three then used the stolen Hyundai to steal a 2016 Mercedes C300 at gunpoint in Skokie later the same day, prosecutors said. After using that victim's stolen credit card to fuel up Aperza's Chevy Trailblazer, they also used the same card to buy food from a Burger King, a McDonald's, and a Snappy's convenience store.
On Sept. 21, they drove the stolen Hyundai back to Skokie to try to steal a 2005 Nissan Altima, and ended up firing shots at the driver, according to the indictment.
Later the same day, they drove back to Chicago, where they tried to steal Mahouar's 2014 Volkswagen CC, and ended up shooting him to death, prosecutors said.
They then drove the stolen Hyundai alongside Triano's 2018 Toyota in Chicago, before shooting and killing him, according to the indictment.
The trio then drove the stolen Hyundai to Berwyn, where they stole another driver's 2020 Chevrolet Equinox at gunpoint, before abandoning the stolen Hyundai in Chicago, prosecutors said
Finally, they abandoned the stolen Equinox in Chicago.
All three defendants were in custody, but their arraignment dates have not been set. If convicted, they could face the death penalty for killing Mahouar and Triano.
