Two arrested for murder, kidnapping
By Frank Abderholden fabderholden@symedianetwork.com May 7, 2012 8:12PM
Article Extras
Updated: June 9, 2012 8:10AM
A weeklong investigation into a murder and kidnapping in Georgia led police to a motel in Beach Park where two suspects were arrested without incident and the kidnapping victim, who had texted her location to a friend, was freed.
The multi-state investigation included the DeKalb County (Ga.) Police Department, United States Marshal Service and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Cristian De La O Hernandez, 22, originally from Zion, was charged with murder in a warrant from Georgia and was also charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual assault and kidnapping. He is being held in Lake County jail on $1 million bond.
Jose Juarez-Vidales, 41, of Rosewood, Ga., is also being held on a murder warrant out of DeKalb County, Ga., and was also charged with being a fugitive from justice. Those charges are filed when a suspect is wanted on a warrant outside the state of Illinois.
According to police, Hernandez went to a dance club in DeKalb County, Ga., on April 30 during the late evening, early morning hours. He meet Maria Jacqueline Ramon and a second woman and he talked them both into leaving and going to a club across town. They all went in Ramon’s vehicle and while driving Hernandez pulled out a handgun and began firing out the window.
Then he pointed the gun at Ramon and ordered her to pull over so he could drive. The second woman was ordered to take off her clothes and get in the backseat. He tried groping her, but she resisted. Then he started groping Ramon and she also resisted his advances. He grabbed her hand and shot her in the head killing her, police said.
Back at the original dance club they abandoned Ramon’s vehicle and the second victim was ordered into Hernandez’s vehicle. Ramon was discovered in her vehicle about 6 hours later. Hernandez contacted Juarez-Vidales, who he had been with earlier in the evening, and told him he needed help taking some guns to the Chicago area and he introduced the kidnapped woman as his “girl.”
Hernandez then raped the woman multiple times in Dekalb County and on the way to Chicago. During the early morning hours Wednesday, the kidnapped woman was able to text her location to a friend who notified police. At 3 a.m., U.S. marshalls, sheriff’s deputies and detectives from the Criminal Investigations Unit and the newly formed Special Investigations Unit located Hernandez and Juarez-Vidales and the kidnapped victim at the American Inn Motel, 39018 Sheridan Rd, Beach Park.
The victim was taken to Vista Medical center East, Waukegan, where she was treated and subsequently released to relatives in Georgia. Major case detectives from the DeKalb County (Ga.) Police Department flew to Lake County where they tied in the murder of Maria Jacqueline Ramon.
