The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office said they may seek a life sentence for the Waukegan man charged with killing a husband and wife in their Beach Park home in December.
An autopsy showed that Mercedes Rodas, 49, and Carlos Rafael Rodas Perez, 52, both of Beach Park, died as a result of injuries from gunshot wounds, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.
The couple was found after the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Beach Park Fire Department responded around 9:40 p.m. December 8 for a call of a person down in the 10000 block of West Wadsworth Road in Beach Park.
Sheriff’s deputies located Rodas and Perez in the garage of the residence with gunshot wounds, Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Lt. Christopher Covelli said.
Sheriff’s deputies attempted life-saving measures, however, they were unsuccessful. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division conducted a thorough investigation and obtained an arrest warrant for Triplett on January 12.
Timothy D. Triplett, Jr., 34, of the 2100 block of Georgetown Lane in Waukegan, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
The sheriff’s office arrested Triplett on January 13 and transported him to the Lake County jail where he remains held on a $5 million bond.
“Two lives were violently and senselessly lost last month at the hands of another. I am very proud of our detectives for their relentless pursuit seeking justice for a husband and wife who were murdered. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims,” Sheriff John Idleburg said.
Police did not say what led Triplett to murder the couple but detectives are continuing to investigate the case. Covelli said that the man did not know the victims.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office said in a statement on Thursday that information in the indictment against Triplett has led to the consideration of them seeking a natural life sentence if he is convicted.