CHICAGO — A 32-year-old Chicago man is facing three counts of first-degree murder after authorities say he fatally shot three construction workers over a payment dispute involving $2,300 — then fled to Mexico.
Vilmer Alcaraz, the accused, was extradited back to Chicago last week and is now being held without bail following a detention order by Judge Shauna Boliker. Prosecutors allege that Alcaraz gunned down the men in a premeditated act of violence on November 10, 2023, in the city’s Ashburn neighborhood.
Workers Found Dead In SUV
Chicago police responded to multiple 911 calls and a ShotSpotter alert around 4:30 p.m. that day, discovering the bodies of Fernando Najero-Patino, 28, Carlos Lopez-Orozco, 38, and Juan Marrufo-Romero, 36, slumped inside a Buick Enclave parked in the 8300 block of South Pulaski Road. All three had suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
Authorities later identified the victims as laborers who had been hired to perform concrete work at properties belonging to Alcaraz’s sister and her neighbor.
Payment Dispute Turns Deadly
According to a proffer from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, the workers had completed jobs at the residences and were waiting to collect payment. A notebook recovered from the scene included Alcaraz’s sister’s address and noted a total owed of approximately $2,300.
Text messages sent from one of the workers to a phone linked to Alcaraz read:
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“Good afternoon, can you pay the rest of the money?”
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“Do you answer, or are you going to pay the money or not?”
Surveillance Footage Tracks Suspect’s Movements
Video surveillance captured Alcaraz arriving at his sister’s home in a work van from his job at a senior care center around three hours before the shooting. Roughly 10 minutes before the murders, footage shows him pulling up his hood and walking down a nearby alley.
Additional cameras recorded him approaching the victims’ vehicle, speaking briefly with the driver, then pulling a gun from his pocket and firing multiple rounds into the SUV.
He was later seen returning to his sister’s house at 4:34 p.m. — just one minute after the shooting. Moments later, he left the home in an SUV believed to be driven by a neighbor.
Suspect Fled to Mexico After the Killings
Prosecutors say Alcaraz held a valid FOID card and legally owned three firearms, none of which matched the caliber used in the slayings. His neighbor, who also possessed a concealed carry license, has not been charged but reportedly refused to cooperate with investigators and hired a lawyer.
The day after the shooting, Alcaraz boarded a pre-booked flight to Mexico. On January 30, 2024, a judge issued an arrest warrant, and U.S. Border Patrol notified Chicago police that Alcaraz had previously re-entered the country via a Texas border crossing — though it remains unclear when he returned to Mexico.
Extradited and Now in Custody
After being located by Mexican authorities, Alcaraz was extradited to Chicago and taken into custody last week. He waived his Miranda rights upon arrival and made unspecified admissions regarding the murders, according to prosecutors.
He is now being held in Cook County Jail without bond as he awaits trial.
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