Joliet's Murder On Benton Street Solved In South Bend: Police

JOLIET, IL — The June 6 mid-morning deadly shooting of Joliet 20-year-old Latrel Smith-Vaden in the 600 block of East Benton Street has resulted in the capture of a Joliet teenager in the state of Indiana, according to Joliet police.

Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English indicated that Emilio Aldape, who turned 18 on July 2, has been returned to the Will County Jail, where he faces two counts of first-degree murder. Will County court records indicate that there is a co-defendant who also faces first-degree murder charges, but his name remains under seal at the courthouse because he remains in hiding.

As for Aldape, he comes from the 200 block of Eastern Avenue, and his bail was put at $5 million.

According to English, the following events took place on June 6:

• At 10:18 a.m., officers responded to the 600 block of East Benton Street for a report of shots fired. Upon arrival, officers located a 20-year-old man in the street who had sustained a gunshot wound to the head. The victim was taken to Silver Cross Hospital by the Joliet Fire Department's ambulance, and he was pronounced dead.
• "The shooting was investigated as an isolated incident," English noted.
• Throughout their investigation, Joliet Police Detectives identified Aldape as a suspect in this murder. Three days after the street killing, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Aldape on the two counts of first-degree murder.
• On July 5, Aldape was taken into custody at a gas station in South Bend, Indiana by members of the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, and he was held at the St. Joseph County Jail in South Bend. Aldape was returned to the Will County Adult Detention Facility during the early morning hours of July 12.