5th Teen Faces Murder Charges Over Skokie Double Shooting

SKOKIE, IL — A Chicago man has become the fifth defendant charged in connection with the 2014 Skokie murder of a high school student, police said.

Skokie resident and Niles North student Maxwell Gadau, 17, and a female companion, then 17, were both shot as the "result of a drug deal gone bad," according to police.

Gadau, who police have not said was involved in the deal, died from his wounds. Five men now face charges for his murder.

The latest, Antonio L. Hicks, 19, has been charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and armed robbery and was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday, Skokie police said.

On Sept. 28, 2014 Hicks and four other men, 22-year-old Dzevad Avdic, 22-year-old Myles Hughes, 22-year-old Jeremy Ly and 21-year-old Nicholas Smith, all participated in the robbery in the 9200 block of Kedvale Avenue.

The investigation found that Avdic had texted the girl on Sept. 24 after Ly gave him her name and number. Avdic then arranged a drug deal with her, contacting her on Sept. 28 to set up the deal before he, Hughes and Smith drove to the meeting, Skokie police said.

When they arrived at the meet, Hughes and Hicks got into the same car as Gadau and his companion and demanded drugs. When the girl refused, Hicks allegedly shot both of them and fled the area with Avdic, Hughes and Smith, according to the 2014 police report.

All five are awaiting trial. Hicks, of the 10000 block of South Forest Avenue, was initially questioned in 2014, when he was a juvenile. He was released at the time, and is now being charged as an adult, police said.

Top photo: Antonio Hicks (Courtesy Skokie Police Department)