Tricia Hoyt Tragedy Involves Bolingbrook Promenade Video Footage

BOLINGBROOK, IL - It's been more than two months since Eduardo Avila Jr., a Joliet Junior College student, was charged with two felonies in the late night hit-and-run death of Tricia Hoyt, a young woman from Orland Park. Hoyt left behind two small children and numerous friends and family who were devastated by her untimely and horrific death along a dark frontage road in Bolingbrook. She was 35.

These days, the criminal case against the 19-year-old man from Joliet continues to move forward at the Will County Courthouse. In a recent key step, Will County Assistant State's Attorney Thomas Slazyk handed over to Avila's private defense counsel a bulk of evidence assembled by the Bolingbrook Police Department. Avila will return to Courtroom 407 for a pretrial hearing set for 9:30 a.m. Jan. 25.

Avila was taken into custody at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 13 and he was out of jail by 7:20 a.m. the next morning. His family posted 1o percent of his $500,000 bond. The family also hired downtown Joliet criminal defense Cosmo Tedone. On Nov. 4, a Saturday night, Hoyt attended a party in Bolingbrook. Sometime after midnight she went for a walk by herself, along the road. Then, around 11 a.m. the following day, Bolingbrook Police were notified of a dead body along the roadway.

The motorist who struck the young woman from Orland Park did not stop or call police.

RELATED: Eduardo Avila Jailed In Hit And Run Death

Eduardo Avila Jr.

Bolingbrook's Police Department aggressively investigated the tragedy from the outset. Within a few days, detectives identified Avila as their prime suspect. He was ultimately charged with two felonies: failure to stop after having an accident involving personal injury or death and failure to report an accident involving fatal injury or death.

Nowadays, Avila's case is advancing through the pretrial stage of discovery at Will County's Courthouse. Prosecutor Slazyk recently filed court documents notifying the judge "the physical evidence in this case may be viewed by the defense counsel."

Here's a summary of the key evidence that's been furnished to Avila and his lawyer, Tedone, in preparation for trial, which is still several months away.

As of now, Will County prosecutors and Bolingbrook Police have been tight lipped on how Avila emerged as their suspect. However, the summary of physical evidence, plus the slew of video footage obtained by police offers insight on several locations that are relevant to Will County's case against Avila, who lives in Joliet.

NOTEWORTHY EVIDENCE

• Copy of nine-page executed search warrant for defendant Eduardo Avila Jr.

• Search warrant for suspect vehicle

Bolingbrook's Promenade has a critical role in helping police build their case.

PHYSICAL EVIDENCE

• Crime scene photos

• Text messages

• Video taken of Route 53/Frontage Road

• Videos, pictures of scene

• Autopsy photos

• Ulta Beauty-Promenade video footage for Nov. 7, 2017

• Promenade video footage for Nov. 7

• Video footage of Promenade parking lot near Ulta dated Nov. 7

• Video footage of vehicle leaving Promenade shopping mall southbound through parking lot near Bar Louie.
• Video footage from Promenade, vehicle driving east through mall parking away from Bar Louie toward Janes Avenue.

• Video footage from 398 Bolingbrook Drive, Shell station, near Route 53 and frontage road.

• Video footage from Romeoville Shell station, near Weber Road and Lakeview Drive

INTERVIEWS, STATEMENTS CONDUCTED BY BOLINGBROOK POLICE

1. Eduardo Avila Jr., DVD of interview
2. Four people who gave interview statements on Nov. 5
3. Four additional people who whose subsequent interviews were recorded on DVD.

AVILA'S PAST DRIVING OFFENSES

1. Joliet Police Department citation and complaint dated March 8, 2015
2. Joliet PD citation and complaint dated April 12, 2016
3. JPD citation and complaint dated June 2, 2017

Main image of Tricia Hoyt provided to Patch, mugshot of Eduardo Avila Jr. via Will County Sheriff's Department, image of Promenade via Patch, image of Shell station via Google Maps.