Joliet's Chris Perez Killed Brother Ricardo: Will County Sheriff

JOLIET, IL - The Will County Sheriff's Department commended the work of its detective team in bringing quick resolution to an early morning fatal shooting in Joliet Township's east side. On Sunday afternoon, 28-year-old Chris Perez was taken into custody in connection with allegations that he killed his own brother by shooting him. The Will County Sheriff's Department issued a statement Sunday about the homicide of 36-year-old Ricardo Perez. Police said that Chris Perez confessed to committing the murder. He is being held on charges of first-degree murder.

The person who called 911 to notify police about the shooting was the murder suspect, according to Dan Jungles, Will County Sheriff's Deputy Chief of Special Operations and Investigations. Sheriff's police were notified of the slaying shortly before 12:30 a.m. The crime happened at 1462 Sterling Avenue in Joliet Township. At the scene, police saw the dead body of Ricardo Perez on the second floor of the house. He was shot in the head. From that point forward, sheriff's detectives questioned several people during the overnight hours and that information led them to a prime suspect, the murder victim's younger brother, sheriff's police said.

"He had provided details that weren't adding up," Jungles said. "We pressed on that during the investigation and he eventually reached the point where he confessed."

Chris Perez lived at the home where the murder occurred. Perez "later confessed his involvement in the murder of his brother Ricardo "Ricky" Perez, and provided a detailed account of what had occurred," Will County Sheriff's officials announced on Sunday night.

The home where the murder occurred was part of a two-unit house, sheriff's officials said. One of the units was occupied by the pair of brothers as well as their mother.

At first, Chris Perez did not implicate himself in killing his brother, Jungles said. Meanwhile, several sheriff's detectives for Will County worked the investigation all night long and throughout Sunday. They conducted multiple interviews including neighbors and acquaintances.

Will County detectives came to the conclusion that the killer was the same person who called 911.

"His story didn't make sense at all," Jungles said. "There were a lot of inconsistencies in his story."

As for Chris Perez, "he voluntarily came down for an interview," Jungles said.

It appears Chris Perez and the murder victim, Ricardo "Ricky" Perez had a stormy relationship.

"There is a history of violence with the victim and the offender," Jungles told Joliet Patch. "They had arguments in the past according to the people we interviewed."

Jungles said that Will County Sheriff's police searched the home and seized "several firearms" as part of the murder case. Those guns will undergo ballistics testing to determine whether one was the gun that killed Ricky Perez.

Chris Perez is scheduled to appear in court at 1:30 p.m. Monday for a bond hearing.

Sunday's arrest of Chris Perez marks the second time within the past couple of weeks that the Will County Sheriff's Department was able to quickly resolve a violent murder in short order.

Jeremy Boshears

On November 17, the Will County Sheriff's Department announced the arrest of Jeremy Boshears, a motorcycle rider with the Joliet Outlaws Club. He was charged with killing Kaitlyn "Katie" Kearns, a 24-year-old New Lenox Township resident, who recently began tending bar at the Woody's Bar, a rough tavern on Joliet's East Washington Street. After Kearns vanished, the bar made little effort to help find her. Boshears is now being held on murder charges in the Will County Jail on a steep $10 million bond.

"Our guys have been doing just a fabulous job in short order," Jungles remarked Sunday night, reflecting on the Perez murder and the Katie Kearns homicide probe that netted Boshears' arrest. "It was a lot of hard work and determination in those cases that really came through."

RELATED: Joliet Outlaw Charged In Katie Kearns Murder

In Sunday's homicide, Will County deployed a sergeant and six or seven detectives, as well as the crime scene evidence technicians. Jungles said it's his understanding that the Perez family has lived in Joliet for the past several years.

In the Ricky Perez murder, the Will County detectives did not take the brother's word at face value.

"The detectives who did the interview of Chris (Perez) did a fabulous job of getting the right information out from him to further our investigation," Jungles said.

Mugshot of Chris Perez and Jeremy Boshears via Will County Sheriff's Department, image of Coal City home via Joliet Patch