'Romantic Rivalry,' 'Jealousy' Led To Evanston Murder: Police

EVANSTON, IL — Detectives believe the man found shot to death in a residential backyard near an Evanston park last week was murdered by a romantic rival motivated by jealousy, police said.

Sandoval N. Cobian, 38, of the 5300 block of South Washtenaw Avenue in Chicago's Gage Park neighborhood, was arrested Tuesday and charged in connection with Friday's fatal shooting of 33-year-old Angel J. Miranda, according to Evanston police.

Investigators believe Cobian shot Miranda from a car around 8 p.m., hitting him seven times in his torso with a 9mm handgun, police said.

At the time, officers were dispatched to the area for report of gunfire, but police said they did not discover a body until Miranda's girlfriend found him dead about 90 minutes later behind a home in the 1800 block of Simpson Street near Twiggs Park.

Miranda, a resident of Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, had been visiting his girlfriend in Evanston the night he was killed, according to Cmdr. Ryan Glew.

Detectives discovered Cobian was romantically involved with the same woman, Glew said. He is suspected of killing Miranda "out of an apparent romantic rivalry and jealousy."

Prosecutors approved two counts of first-degree murder for Cobian, accusing him of intentionally killing Miranda and fatally shooting him from a vehicle. Miranda's death was ruled Evanston's first homicide of 2019.

Cobian is due in court for a bond hearing in Skokie Friday afternoon.

Earlier: Man Found Dead In Evanston Backyard Shot 'Numerous' Times: Police