Authorities say the victim was found slumped in a car near Interstate 88.
OAK BROOK TERRACE, Ill. — A 19-year-old Milwaukee woman has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a 28-year-old man found in a car near Interstate 88, and investigators say the case began with a match on the dating app Tinder.
Prosecutors say Akrystal C-Woods, also identified in court records as Akrystal Woods, was arrested in Wisconsin the day after the Feb. 4 killing and is being held while Illinois authorities seek her return to DuPage County. The case has drawn attention because investigators say the victim was nervous about meeting two women he connected with online, and because the shooting unfolded across hotel, parking garage and interstate-area locations in a busy Chicago suburb.
Oakbrook Terrace police were called Feb. 4 to a parking lot near Interstate 88, where Obaidulla F. Shareef, 28, was found slumped over in the driver’s seat of a car with a gunshot wound to the head, according to court filings summarized by investigators. A witness told authorities the car sped out of a parking garage, jumped a curb and struck other parked vehicles before coming to a stop. Shareef was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. “Fleeing to another state does not take a defendant out of the reach of law enforcement,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement announcing the charge.
Investigators said they found a receipt inside the victim’s vehicle for a nearby hotel, and a Milwaukee woman’s name was listed on the receipt. Detectives went to the hotel and spoke with a witness who described events leading up to the shooting. The witness said Shareef had been nervous the day before about meeting up with two women he met on Tinder. Court filings said that when Shareef checked out the next day, a woman later identified by investigators as Woods accused him of taking $200 from her. The dispute turned into an argument, and Woods, Shareef and another woman were asked to leave the property, according to the filings.
Authorities said they then worked to track the movements of Shareef and the women after they left the hotel. Investigators reviewed surveillance video and also used social media and license plate reader information as part of the timeline. After checking out, Shareef’s car and a second vehicle carrying two women entered a parking garage about 1½ miles away, investigators said. The filings did not name the second woman described in the account, and prosecutors have not announced charges against anyone else. Authorities have also not publicly detailed what happened in the moments before Shareef was shot or where the suspected shooter was positioned.
Berlin’s office said Woods faces three counts of first-degree murder in connection with the Feb. 4 shooting in Oak Brook Terrace. The announcement was made jointly with Oak Brook Terrace Police Chief Casey Calvello, who credited a multi-agency effort for identifying and locating the suspect quickly. Calvello said the arrest showed what can happen when local officers coordinate with regional partners. Berlin cited work by the Oak Brook Terrace Police Department, the DuPage Multi-Jurisdictional Investigative Team, known as MERIT, and the Milwaukee Police Department.
Investigators said law enforcement connected the vehicle and the two women to an apartment complex on Milwaukee’s northwest side near 73rd Street and Dean Road. Authorities executed several warrants at that complex Feb. 5, the day after the killing, according to the case summary. Woods and a man were taken into custody after a traffic stop involving the suspected vehicle, investigators said. Officials did not identify the man or describe his role, and it was not immediately clear whether he is considered a witness, a suspect or an unrelated occupant of the vehicle.
Woods remains in custody in Wisconsin while the extradition process moves forward. Prosecutors said she is scheduled for a court appearance in Milwaukee on Feb. 10, and Fox6 reported she was expected to appear before a Milwaukee County court commissioner on an extradition warrant. The DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office said she will be returned to Illinois to face prosecution in DuPage County once the legal process allows.
Authorities have released limited information about Shareef’s background beyond his name and age, and they have not described any prior relationship between him and Woods beyond the reported online contact and in-person meeting. Investigators also have not said whether the $200 allegation was supported by evidence, whether money was recovered, or whether robbery is suspected as a motive. Officials said no additional information was available in the initial charging announcement, and they have not detailed the type of firearm used or whether it has been recovered.
Even with those unanswered questions, the public record outlines a fast-moving case that jumped between Illinois and Wisconsin within a day. Berlin said investigators identified and arrested the suspect quickly and stressed that leaving the state would not prevent prosecution. “Thanks to the truly outstanding work” of the agencies involved, he said, Woods was taken into custody and would be returned to DuPage County. Calvello said regional cooperation through MERIT brought “the highest level of investigative skill” to a violent-crime case in a suburban community that sits along a major interstate corridor.
As the case proceeds, prosecutors are expected to outline more details in court filings and hearings in DuPage County after Woods is returned to Illinois. The next immediate milestone is the Wisconsin court appearance tied to extradition, followed by transfer to DuPage County for the start of the Illinois case. A criminal complaint, authorities noted, is an accusation and not proof of guilt, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Author note: Last updated February 13, 2026.