An Illinois mother was gunned down inside the bar she owns, and police say they have arrested her killer.
Julius E. Burkes Jr., 47, is accused in the murder of Courtney Drysdale.
Authorities confirmed that Drysdale, 30, was found dead on the morning of Monday, February 2, in The Line, a bar in Momence, just west of where Illinois meets Indiana.
The Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office said that Drysdale was ambushed by Burkes at approximately 11 a.m., soon after she started opening the bar for business.
Burkes, who was arrested within 26 hours of Drysdale’s assassination, allegedly walked into The Line on Illinois Route 114 with a handgun and demanded cash from the register.
“Despite her cooperation, the suspect shot her twice, execution-style, before fleeing the scene,” said Kankakee County Sheriff Mike Downey in a statement on the arrest.
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Burkes was detained by police as he was leaving his home in Hammond, Indiana, police said.
A post on The Line’s Facebook page said that “in light of tragic events, we will be closed until further notice.”
No one else was in the bar at the time, Downey explained. The killer damaged a digital recording device on the wall before leaving, but investigators were able to recover video evidence of the crime.
Surveillance images showed the killer wearing a face mask and a high-vis safety jacket and holding a clipboard, but it was unclear why. He was later filmed leaving the bar with a gun in one of his hands.
Hailey Gershon, Drysdale’s best friend, said that “Courtney was a really compassionate person. She cared very much about the people in her life. She was very family oriented. I would say her daughter is her whole life.
Gershon told CBS News that Drysdale took over the bar four years ago.
“She’s been a bartender in that area for quite a while. The line as customers and bartenders and barbacks, we’re all a big family,” Gershon said, adding Drysdale was deeply loved — not only by her daughter and the rest of the family, but also by her bar patrons and friends.
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“He’s finally going to get what he deserves for doing something so heartless to someone who has a huge heart,” she said.
Burkes is still in Indiana, awaiting extradition to Illinois, Us Weekly confirmed. It was unclear if the killer knew Drysdale at all.
“I want to praise, not only the extraordinary efforts of the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office, the Tri-County Auto Theft Task Force, the FBI, the US Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Hammond Police Department on this quick and peaceful apprehension, but I want to commend the community-at-large for coming together and providing quantities of tips and information that ultimately led to this swift arrest,” Downey shared in his statement. “This type of violent behavior has no place in our society, and I am extremely appreciative of the overwhelming support we received from the public, the media as well as our partners in the criminal justice system near and far.”
