Marvin Flanagan and his cohort apparently planned to rob Miguel Perez on Dec. 21 when they attacked him outside his home in the 2500 block of West Cortez Street, Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Kevin DeBoni said.
A 28-year-old man was ordered held without bail Tuesday for a murder that allegedly took place during a home invasion in Humboldt Park over the winter.
Marvin Flanagan and his cohort apparently planned to rob Miguel Perez on Dec. 21 when they attacked him outside his home in the 2500 block of West Cortez Street, Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Kevin DeBoni said.
Before Perez was gunned down, Flanagan’s brother’s girlfriend allegedly texted Flanagan, saying she was at a party at Perez’s home and that Perez had on chains and jewelry.
When Perez got a phone alert from his surveillance system, he stepped out of his garden apartment to check on the movement in the alley behind his building about 2:30 a.m., DeBoni said. Surveillance cameras from the alley showed Flanagan walking toward the building with a rifle, DeBoni said. Perez was also captured on surveillance cameras looking down the gangway of his building before he is seen raising his arms and falling to the ground, DeBoni said.
Perez didn’t have a gun in his hands when he was shot, but he did pull out a weapon and returned fire afterward, DeBoni said. Flanagan was shot twice during the encounter. After the shooting, he jumped over a fence into the alley and landed on Perez’s BMW, leaving his blood on the car, DeBoni said.
Perez, who was struck in the abdomen and arm, later died at Stroger Hospital.
Three different caliber shell casings were recovered, including a shell casing investigators believe came from Perez’s gun, DeBoni said.
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Cook County sheriff’s office
Flanagan’s blood was found in other parts of the alley and inside the stolen Nissan SUV that he rode in before he was dropped off at St. Mary’s Hospital a half hour after the shooting, DeBoni said.
Flanagan’s uncharged co-defendant was allegedly behind the wheel of the SUV when Flanagan got to the hospital. The SUV was recorded by license plate readers traveling in the direction of Perez’s home before the shooting and later away from the direction of the hospital, DeBoni said.
The SUV, which was later found abandoned, sustained damage to its body and a piece of the vehicle was found near the crime scene, where the gunmen had apparently crashed as they sped away, DeBoni said. A “blood soaked” Nissan key fob was also found on Flanagan when he was taken into custody after he was treated for his wounds for an escape warrant in an ongoing 2019 armed habitual criminal case, DeBoni said.
While in jail, Flanagan allegedly discussed Perez’s shooting on a monitored phone line, saying he was struck by “friendly fire” and had initially tried to drive himself to the hospital, but lost consciousness and was moved to the back seat by his partner.
Flanagan also said Perez wasn’t supposed to come out of the house and that Perez’s gun “got real fast off his hip,” DeBoni said.
Flanagan told a caller he “should have just speared [Perez’s] ass as soon as [Perez] came out,” DeBoni said.
Flanagan had also been charged with home invasion in the deadly encounter.
Flanagan is also facing aggravated battery to a peace officer charges related to incidents during his latest jail stint. He also has prior convictions for burglary, armed robbery and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, DeBoni said.
Flanagan’s assistant public defender argued that there was no evidence to suggest Perez was “ambushed.”
“What we do know is [Perez] fired a number of shots … there is really nothing to address what really happened out there on the street that night,” the defense attorney told Judge Mary Marubio.
Marubio told Flanagan he cannot contact any witnesses while he awaits trial for Perez’s murder, prompting Flanagan to say, “I don’t even know who the witnesses is.”
Flanagan then asked how he could know who not to talk to before he was told to stay silent by his lawyer.
He is expected back in court July 6.
