Chicago, Illinois – A judge in Chicago ruled on Saturday that Dontrell Anderson, the man accused of murdering a pregnant woman on the city’s South Side, will remain in custody pending his trial. Anderson, 26, was apprehended in Manitowoc, Wisconsin before being brought back to face charges in Chicago for the murder and concealing of a homicide.
According to investigators, Anderson is accused of strangling and fatally shooting 24-year-old Itzel Camarena when she visited him at his family’s apartment in the Chatham neighborhood on February 18. Camarena, who family members said was six months pregnant when she was killed, was found dead between two trash cans near Anderson’s family’s home the following Sunday morning.
During a hearing on Saturday, a Cook County judge determined that Anderson poses a public safety risk, leading to the decision to keep him in custody. Camarena’s family expressed relief at the ruling, stating that they hope justice will be served for their loved one.
Camarena’s aunt, Juanita Sanchez, expressed disbelief at the tragic outcome, questioning why someone would commit such a heinous act against her niece. The victim’s family revealed that Camarena and Anderson knew each other from high school.
In court, Anderson’s public defender acknowledged his client’s presence at the scene but denied his involvement in the murder. However, prosecutors claimed to have surveillance footage of Anderson moving Camarena’s body, wrapped in a sheet, out to the alley.
Vanessa Sanchez, Camarena’s mother, expressed confidence that her daughter would receive the justice she deserved based on the evidence presented in the case. The family described Camarena as being excited about motherhood and having aspirations of launching a cosmetics business in the future.
Anderson is scheduled to appear in court again on April 9 as the legal proceedings continue in the case. Despite the sadness and devastation faced by Camarena’s family, they remain hopeful that the justice system will bring closure for their beloved Itzel.