$2M bond for man charged with murder at Halloween party
August 2, 2012 10:10PM
George Martinez / Photo from Elgin police
ELGIN -- Bond was set at $2 million Thursday for a former northwest suburban man recently extradited from Mexico and charged with a gang-related murder at a 2008 Halloween party.
George Martinez was arrested June 22, 2011, at his family’s home in Morelos Coahuila, Mexico, and was extradited Wednesday to Kane County, according to Elgin police. Elgin officers and U.S. Marshals took him into custody at O’Hare International Airport.
As an 18-year-old Elgin resident, Martinez allegedly shot 16-year-old Jaime Benitez after a gang fight at a 2008 Halloween party in the 500 block of Douglas Avenue, police said. Benitez, of Elgin, died at Sherman Hospital in Elgin.
Detectives identified Martinez as the shooter and issued a warrant for his arrest in December 2008, police said. Officials learned he fled the country and he was arrested in 2011 in Mexico, where he was jailed awaiting an extradition hearing for more than a year.
On Thursday, Judge James Hallock set bond at $2 million, according to Kane County State’s Attorney’s office spokesman Christopher Nelson. His next court hearing was scheduled for 9 a.m. Aug. 24.
