Prosecutors say that late on Sunday night, Karina Gonzalez was home with her family, including her two teenage children who were sitting on the couch together while she was in the kitchen. Prosecutors say that at that point, Gonzalez’s husband, Jose Alvarez, came out of his bedroom and began accusing her of cheating on him, continuing a pattern of verbal abuse that had persisted for years.
Gonzalez stopped him and settled down with her kids on the couch. Alvarez went into his bedroom and pulled a revolver out from under his pillow after his 18-year-old son warned him to stop or he would call the police. Prosecutors claim that Alvarez shot and killed his wife and 15-year-old daughter while they sat on the couch. After that, he went and shot his son, who was taking cover under the kitchen table.
Alvarez, 67, is charged with two charges of murder, one act of attempted murder, and one crime of aggravated battery by firing a handgun, as detailed by prosecutors during a bond hearing held on Thursday. The judge in Cook County refused to release him on bail. Judge David Kelly of the Cook County Courthouse declared, “This court is overwhelmingly convinced… with this overwhelming evidence that you were in fact the individual responsible for the deaths.”
The tweet below verifies the news:
Wife obtained order of protection against husband before he shot and killed her and daughter, 15, prosecutors say https://t.co/WQBXUkn9gC
— Chicago Breaking News (@ChicagoBreaking) July 6, 2023
The hearing took place in the Leighton Criminal Court Building. Prosecutors said that 48-year-old Gonzalez was shot eight times in the 2600 block of South Millard Avenue, where she later died. Police found 15-year-old Daniela Alvarez alive, but she later passed away in the hospital.
Prosecutors said that Gonzalez had an order of protection against her husband for around 15 days prior to her death on June 21. She then left the house to stay with family. A judge ruled that Gonzalez should have sole custody of the kids and visitation rights to the house.
According to the court order obtained by the Tribune, the judge also forbade Alvarez from entering the property or communicating with Gonzalez. However, Alvarez was never given the directive. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement saying the restraining order had been entered into a statewide police database.
Deputy “attempted to serve Mr. Alvarez with the order on June 23, but Mr. Alvarez was not at home,” the statement read. Prosecutors stated at the Thursday hearing that Alvarez’s handgun ownership documentation was canceled because of the restraining order.
On June 23, once the agency linked the order of protection to the FOID information, the card was suspended, according to a statement released by Melaney Arnold, a spokesperson for the Illinois State Police. On June 24, ISP informed the Chicago Police Department and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office of the suspension, she said.
Within 24 hours of receiving an order of protection, ISP will suspend a person’s FOID card and notify local law police, she added. The next step is for the person to fill out a document and surrender their firearms to law police or an authorized FOID card holder.
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A spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department stated Thursday night that the department’s firearm investigation team had not been informed of Alvarez’s FOID card being revoked. Prosecutors at the court hearing claimed that on June 26, Alvarez’s ex-wife Gonzalez and their children returned to the family home with the expectation that Alvarez, who has a history of alcohol and drug misuse, would enter a rehabilitation program.
Prosecutors claim that after Alvarez shot his wife and two children, he walked back toward his bedroom as his son rushed outside to contact 911. Prosecutors claim that Alvarez answered the door when police arrived because he was still at home. Prosecutors claim surveillance footage shows the teen son fleeing the apartment and calling 911 after hearing 14 gunshots.
Prosecutors state that police discovered a handgun on Alvarez’s bed, along with 14 spent shot shells and three spent bullets. So far, six shell casings have been analyzed and found to be consistent with Alvarez’s firearm. An attorney for Alvarez said his client has been on a waitlist for mental health care for “quite some time.” The case is scheduled to resume on July 26.
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