It’s no secret that crime is out of control in Chicago, with murder at the top of the list. But when a gruesome murder takes place across the street, it’s hard not to experience a shiver of dread or worse, even for those who see the police as a foe. Chicago’s newly elected Mayor Brandon Johnson, who ditched his previous “defund the police” rhetoric while running for office, just saw his very nice-looking, yet crime-ridden block on the southside of Chicago host a horrifyingly brutal crime at the hands of an alleged suspect with a spotless criminal record.
CWBChicago, the go-to source for crime news in the Windy City, has the details:
A man who lives across the street from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was held without bail Tuesday after prosecutors accused him of beating a woman to death with a baseball bat inside his home and dumping her body in the alley.
Arnel Smith, 64, is charged with first-degree murder and concealing a homicidal death.
A medical examiner who handled the 41-year-old victim’s case said they had “never seen so many injuries on someone’s body,” Assistant State’s Attorney Anne McCord said during Smith’s bail hearing.
As this photo composite shows, it would be an easy baseball throw from the Mayor’s house to the crime scene:
(source)
There is no information on whether or not the mayor knows his neighbor, nor is there any information about a police presence guarding the mayor’s house. His predecessor Lori Lightfoot was heavily criticized for a labor-intensive 24-hour police presence on her block. Such a prominent display might have given the alleged perp second thoughts about carrying out an especially brutal crime, and attempting to hide it so crassly.
Smith met the woman once about a year ago, then happened to cross paths with her again at a Citgo gas station around 5 a.m. on Friday.
The two rode a CTA bus back to Smith’s home in the 5700 block of West Superior. There, they smoked crack and the woman performed a sex act, according to McCord.
Afterward, said McCord, Smith accused the woman of stealing money and would not let her leave until she paid him what he believed he was owed.
The altercation turned violent.
Smith beat the woman with a baseball bat and stabbed her with broken pottery until she died, McCord alleged.
After the murder, Smith allegedly smoked some more crack, wrapped the woman’s body in a comforter, and dragged her to an alley. Surveillance video showed him trying to place the body into a dumpster, but he was “physically unable” to complete the task, so he left her on the ground, McCord said.
One thing that sets this crime apart, other than the brutality, is that the suspect Smith would have appeared as a model citizen based on what was visible to police and others:
Smith has no criminal background and has been employed his entire life after earning a degree in childhood development, his lawyer said. He has worked for a child daycare center for the past five years. In his spare time, the lawyer said, he plays and sings in a blues and jazz band.
When a degreed childcare worker/amateur musician is alleged to have smoked crack and engaged in the behavior described, it looks like a society spinning out of control, with widespread social rot.
Condolences to those who knew or loved the victim and hopes that the justice system functions smoothly and fairly for the suspect.