Dead Shorewood Man Found Slumped Over On Bedroom Floor, Needle Mark In Right Forearm: Prosecutors

SHOREWOOD, IL — Last week's petition to deny pretrial release for 34-year-old Briana Trumbo reveals key details leading up to the final moments of life for 24-year-old Shorewood resident Trent "TD" Veleker. As a result, Trumbo is now being kept in Will County's Jail facing charges of drug-induced homicide and unlawful manufacture or delivery of controlled substances.

"Officer got records from Cash App for both Trent's and Trumbo's accounts," the Will County State's Attorney's Office filing states. "Officer found a completed Cash App $40 transaction from Trent (Strent1290) to Briana Trumbo's username '$BaTrumbo.' This account is registered to Briana Amberae Trumbo with Defendant's true date of birth, a cell phone number of identified as belonging to Defendant and a social security number for Defendant.

"All this information matches Trumbo as corroborated by Cash App and T-Mobile. This $40 transaction was the last payment the victim made via Cash App."

According to his obituary posted by Fred C. Dames Funeral Home in Joliet,Veleker was born in Hinsdale and grew up in Shorewood and was a graduate of Plainfield South High School. "Trent loved the outdoors. He enjoyed playing disc golf with his friends, sitting by the water with a fishing pole in his hand, and going on hikes through the forest," his obituary read.

According to the prosecution's filing, the young man from Shorewood shared the following conversations over the instant messaging app Snapchat with Trumbo on September 15, 2023—Veleker's final day alive.

Sept. 15, 2023

Veleker reportedly asked Trumbo if she could get him "sum."

At 10:47 a.m., she notified Veleker to send her $40 after 2:30 p.m. Then, at 12:38 p.m. Trumbo notified the Shorewood man that she placed his order with her dealer, prosecutors noted.

Veleker agreed to send her $40 closer to 2:30 p.m. when Trumbo's drug dealer got off work. Trumbo told Veleker that she lived in Shorewood and picked up her drugs in far east Joliet so she needed money for gas. However, when Veleker notified her that he also lived in Shorewood, Trumbo said he would not owe her money for gas. He then gave her his address on Summit Creek Drive, the filing said.

The townhouse is located in the Summit Creek of Shorewood along Black Road just east of Route 59.

At 2:49 p.m., the filing said Trumbo notified the Shorewood man, "Imma have to pick up ur drugs too."

"Thank u sm for grabbling it for me. Where u gotta go to get them?"

"East Joliet."

According to prosecutors, the two then agreed to exchange $40 via the Cash App. Veleker asked Trumbo how she smoked it and if she used foil.

"Yeah I've done only done it twice. I went straight to fentanyl lol," she responded.

At 3:29 p.m., prosecutors say Trumbo notified Veleker that her drug dealer told her to come over to his house. She then requested for Veleker to send the money, and she gave him her Cash App username of "$BaTrumbo," court files show.

"I gotta trust you for this too," she wrote Veleker back at 3:36 p.m. "What if you die?"

At 3:55 p.m., Trumbo informed Veleker to hurry and send her the money before she arrived at the drug dealer's house in Joliet.

At 3:56 p.m., Veleker confirmed he sent Trumbo the money, according to the filing.

At 4:23 p.m., Trumbo advised the Shorewood man that her drug dealer left his house because of too much police activity in the area. She planned to return to his house around 6 p.m.

"And it's not tar right? Brown or white?" Veleker asked her at 4:52 p.m.

"Last night it was brown," Trumbo responded.

By 6:09 p.m., Trumbo informed Veleker that she sent the dealer his money.

"Mann ima be pissed if I lose my 40 dude," Veleker wrote at 6:17 p.m.

"But he's reliable. Late af but reliable," Trumbo responded at 6:19 p.m.

"U got foil at your place?" Trumbo wrote at 6:30 p.m.

"Yes I have foil," he responded.

At 6:38 p.m., Trumbo informed the Shorewood man the dealer just pulled up. One minute later, she wrote back," Got it ... U better have foil and a straw and lighter ready for me by the time I get to u."

Veleker told her to meet him outside his residence in Shorewood because his mother and grandmother were still at the house, prosecutors said. He let her know he would bring out the items she requested plus Xanax and cannabis for her, court documents reflect.

Veleker's mother, 48, later told authorities that she saw her son go into his bedroom with tinfoil around 7:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, at 6:43 p.m., Trumbo messaged Veleker, stating, "You know 30 isn't a lot right. But please still don't die or imma be pissed. That's y I need u to start treatment tomorrow. I don't like selling but I just like doing it."

When Veleker questioned why she only bought $30 worth of drugs, Trumbo responded she bought $33 in heroin, but needed to use $7 for gas to make it back to Shorewood, according to prosecutors.

"That's after I pinched off a baby bit for me. I got like 3 hits. Ull have quite a night," she messaged Veleker. She informed him this would be her third time she ever did heroin.

"I got the weed, foil, a lighter, the xan and sum weed all in a plastic bag for ya," the Shorewood man wrote Trumbo. He let her know he could not find any straws, but Trumbo responded she had one.

At 7:25 p.m., Trumbo alerted the Shorewood man she would be at his house in four minutes. He asked if she tried the heroin yet and Trumbo messaged back, "Yeah my roommate nodded off 1 hit."
"Ooo s**t," he wrote back.

At 7:29 p.m. Trumbo made it to Shorewood. "Hurry up. I'm pulling I (sic) now," she wrote.

Veleker responded he would just come to his window.

In their petition to deny pretrial release, prosecutors explained that Veleker's bedroom had a window facing the front of the house. He had this bedroom to himself.

At 7:31 p.m., he wrote," Ok I'm coming to window."

"Which window," Trumbo responded. "There's like 6 residents here."

By 7:36 p.m., the heroin transaction was complete.

"Thank you so much dude. Ur really beautiful in person," Veleker wrote Trumbo.

At 7:39 p.m., Trumbo messaged him back, "Thank you so much. I hope u enjoy. Told u I wasn't robbing ya. I'm trustworthy person fr," prosecutors revealed.

At 7:45 p.m., Veleker wrote Trumbo," I trust you now ... you're f****** dope dude. I definitely owe ya something bb. This shit is fire as f***?"

By 10:07 p.m., Veleker notified Trumbo he could teach her how to shoot up drugs safely.

Prosecutors noted that Trumbo began to delete her portion of the chat; there were seven different online messages that stated, "Briana Trumbo deleted a chat."

At 10:08 p.m., Veleker wrote, "Ya I got Narcan."

At 10:22 a.m., Veleker wrote, "The nod is so good from it. You just REALLLYY need to know what you're doing and be safe with needles."

At 10:27 p.m., Veleker wrote his final message to Trumbo.

"Would u let me. Do it??? Or na."

Sept. 16, 2023

According to prosecutors, at 7:18 a.m. Sept. 16, 2023, Shorewood police were sent to the Summit Creek Drive home after Veleker was found unresponsive in his bedroom. The Troy Fire Department also responded. He was found in a sitting position, slumped over on the floor. He was not breathing and did not have a pulse. Prosecutors noted that Veleker was initially discovered at around 7 a.m. by his family.

His 73-year-old grandmother, who lived at the house, said she last saw Veleker alive at 11:30 p.m. the night before. Veleker also had two daughters, ages 3 and 4, who were staying at the residence that weekend. The home belonged to Veleker's 71-year-old aunt, prosecutors noted. The Will County Coroner's Office arrived and pronounced Veleker dead at 8:15 a.m. During the autopsy, a pathologist found a needle mark on Veleker's right forearm; his death was due to combined fentanyl and alprazolam toxicity, based on the lab results.

Shorewood police recovered a syringe, a cell phone and a burnt spoon with cotton on Veleker's dresser. The officers found two more syringes, four unlabeled medicine bottles with various pills, and a small corner-cut baggie in the top drawer of the dresser that a lab test showed to be fentanyl, prosecutors noted.

Officers also found another syringe and approximately 100 used whip-it N20 cartridges under his bed. Prosecutors indicated the cotton from the spoon was found to contain fentanyl and cocaine.

Prosecutors: Trumbo Must Stay In Jail Under SAFE-T-Act

The Will County State's Attorney's Office was successful in last week's pretrial detention hearing to detain the 34-year-old Trumbo, who now lives in Thornton, Colorado. She will remain in the Will County Jail during the pretrial phase of her felony drug-induced homicide case.

"Defendant in the messages discussed how strong the drug (was) and did not want to get caught if he died and asked not to use her real name," argued prosecutor James Long. "Defendant has criminal history of driving with drugs in her system - she has a driving under the influence of drugs as a misdemeanor from Larimer County, Colorado from and offense date of March 9, 2024. Defendant has an operating while intoxicated misdemeanor from Carroll County, Iowa from August of 2011. Defendant's past conduct/criminal history and current alleged facts show she is a clear and present danger to the community."